


The Prankster Team

by RStar6709



Series: The Prankster Team [1]
Category: Keeper of the Lost Cities Series - Shannon Messenger
Genre: Alternating Third Person POV, Angst, Cassius Sencen's A+ Parenting, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, How Do I Tag, I think I might make Marella and Linh QPPs, M/M, More tags to be added, No Beta, Pranking, Short mutual pining, Sophie Foster is supportive, Unrequited Love, and also i need to sort through my own aro feelings so, aromantic!Marella, because why not, deals with homophobia, okay but also if i didnt make it happy then who am I?, prepare for a long fic but with a fast-burn romance, that is all i shall say, the later chapters don't have as much oops, this fic is pretty long considering my other works, will go from friends up to marriage
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:34:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 26,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27704194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RStar6709/pseuds/RStar6709
Summary: Disclaimer: This fic was started since before Flashback, so I will choose which parts of canon I will keep.Keefe Sencen has been heartbroken. Sophie Foster, the one he loves has started to date his best friend.Dex Dizznee is also heartbroken. After getting over Sophie, he began liking Biana. But she's dating Tam. He's been facing the pain of being unnoticed, his friends never realizing his plight.When the two find out about each other's problems, they work together to help each other get better. Two pranking buddies work together to get revenge.In a world where you can't always choose who to love, what will they do when they start to have feelings for each other?
Relationships: Dex Dizznee & Lovise (Keeper of the Lost Cities), Dex Dizznee & Sophie Foster, Dex Dizznee/Keefe Sencen, Marella Redek & Linh Song, Other possible relationships???, Romhilda & Keefe Sencen, Sophie Foster/Fitz Vacker, Tam Song/Biana Vacker
Series: The Prankster Team [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2026195
Comments: 6
Kudos: 30





	1. Heartbroken

**Author's Note:**

> Alrighty. Idk if y'all know me from Wattpad (RStar6709), but this fic has been up for over 2 years (wow, thats a long time). I'm nowhere near close to finishing, but I've wanted to upload this here! You might notice changes here, but I am making edits. 
> 
> This is important, you may have noticed that this is in a series. This fic is for the main story. There's so much I want to write for later chapters, but there's a lot, so the extras will just be small scenes.
> 
> I don't update this fic that often, and I've been stuck in a huge block, so I think that editing will help me get back into the mood. My plan currently is an update a week on here, until I catch up.
> 
> Enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keefe finally decides to confess to Sophie. But it's too late...

_Alright, this is the day. What do I say? 'Hey Foster, ever since I've met you, I've been crushing on you. Actually wait- I'm in love with you.' That sounds terrible. This is Sophie Foster, she deserves the best. Does she want a cheesy line, or should I play it cool? But… what if she rejects me? She_ does _like Fitz, so will she accept me? What do I do?_

Keefe was pacing back and forth, panicking. He took a deep breath in an attempt to calm his nerves. It worked a little bit, but it was enough to clear his head.

 _You know what Foster does like? Honesty. I just have to tell her how I feel, nothing more, nothing less._ _Yeah, that sounds better._

He then made his way to Everglen, where a sleepover was to take place. 

"Hey Keefe!" Biana called out. "Took you long enough!"

"It's not my fault that I had to style the hair!" He replied.

She grinned. "Well, it's still terribly messy!" With that, she started running inside. 

"You did _not_ just insult the hair!" He said, running after her.

It didn't take long for him to catch up, and then he tackled her. Everyone else was right nearby, laughing at the act. Everyone… except Tam. He seemed to be holding back a scowl. Keefe felt Biana freeze, and she pushed him off.

"Come on Bangs Boy," he teased. "Lighten up a little bit! We all know that she's your girlfriend, no need to look so jealous."

Because really, Tam was outright scowling now. Everyone knew that he was close to the Vacker siblings, and that he was naturally affectionate. If this continued, it was going to end up being a problem.

But it seemed like Tam was thinking the same thing, as his face softened. "...sorry." it was barely a whisper, but he heard it.

"Hmm?" Keefe cupped his hand to his ear, smirking. "What was that?"

Irritation flashed through the raven's silver-blue eyes. "You heard what I said."

"What?" And just because he felt like it, he turned to Linh. "Did you hear him?"

The girl was giggling. "No, I heard nothing." Ignoring the offended look that her brother sent her, she continued. "Tam, may you please say that louder?"

"Sorry."

Everyone else made attempts to hide their laughter. Even Della walked in, an amused smile on her face.

"Dinner's ready."

He was kind of hungry, but he had a little bit of nausea from his nervousness. He needed a chance to conf-

"And there's mallowmelt."

Dinner was one thing, but mallowmelt was different. He rushed to the kitchen, eager to go get the dessert he knew would calm him down. He got there first, but Sophie was right behind him.

"You couldn't wait for the mallowmelt Foster?" He teased.

She laughed, her skin flushing slightly. "W- well I could say the same thing about you!"

He laughed along with her, before he realized that they were still alone. "Can I talk to you later?" He asked, his tone serious. 

"Sure! Fitz also wanted to do the same, so I'll talk to him first."

 _What would Fitz want?_

"This is important, _please_?" He begged.

"Is this about the Neverseen? Or the Black Swan?"

"No."

"Then I think it can wait. Fitz asked first, so I think it's fair that I speak to him first."

"How long will you two take?"

"What about this, five minutes," she offered. "I'll talk to him for five minutes."

For a moment, he wanted to yell. Deep down, he had a feeling as to what Fitz wanted. But she also had a point, and yelling would do more harm than good.

Keefe sighed. "Fine."

"What's going on here?" Fitz asked, as he entered the kitchen. 

"Nothing important, Wonderboy," he mumbled.

He loved Fitz, he really did care for his friend. But he didn't want to give up his chance to confess. 

"Oh no, not you too!" Fitz gasped, referring to the nickname that Dex had made up.

Keefe put on a fake smile, hoping that it would hide his irritation. The others came in shortly after, and they ate dinner quietly. Keefe was even quieter than usual, eating the mallowmelt but picking at the rest of his food.

"Are you alright?" Sophie asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He put up his signature smirk to be more convincing. "Why? You worried about me?"

Her face turned scarlet red, and his grin was slightly more real. 

"Of course I'm worried! Why wouldn't I?"

He shrugged.

Keefe watched as Fitz turned to Sophie, and they stared into each other's eyes- as if transmitting. They both nodded and left the room. He sat there, waiting for time to pass.

Despite the deal being five minutes, he gave her two more. He didn't want to come off as impatient. When they still didn't come back, he got up.

"Where are you going?" Biana asked.

"Washroom," he answered, and walked in the direction that the duo went.

It wasn't too hard to find out where they went, since he was able to sense her emotions. It took him a while to navigate through Everglen, but he finally found it. He pressed his ear against the door, but there was no sound. Maybe a telepathic conversation?

_What am I doing? If Foster found out I was trying to eavesdrop, she'd be angry._

He backed away slightly, feeling guilty. Then the emotions changed, from worry to pure joy. _What was happening in there?_

Apparently, it was a good thing he had backed away. The door had opened and Fitz left, walking down a hallway. He didn't see Keefe.

He waited a few moments, waiting to see if his friend would come back. But when he didn't, Keefe knew he had to take the chance. He knocked on the door.

"Back already? That was fa- Keefe?"

"Yeah Foster, it's me."

"What are you doing here?"

"It's been about ten minutes, double the time you told me. My turn now."

"Okay," she breathed, and sat down. "What is it?"

 _Well, it's now or never_. "Sophie… I like you. I have for a long time. I've admired your bravery, your kindness, your leadership. You've helped me through a lot. I _really_ like you."

Somehow, throughout that, he'd managed to keep eye contact with her. She blinked, then smiled nervously, fiddling with her sleeves. "Keefe I-"

"Sorry Keefe," Fitz interrupted. "She's my girlfriend."

He stood there, complete and utterly speechless. And maybe it was the news, the slightly unapologetic tone of Fitz, the fact that he knew this would have happened, his nausea, and other reasons that led him to snap.

"Well you know what? I don't need you Fo- _Sophie!_ Just know that if he ever breaks your heart, don't come crying to me!" His voice was high pitched, and broke by the end of it.

"Ke-"

He turned around and slammed the door shut behind him. He stomped down the stairs, thinking of a good spot to hide away. As he passed by a window, he remembered a place. It was outside, within the vast amount of land that Everglen claimed. There was a fountain, and near that was a tree. There were even fyie flowers nearby- flowers known for their soothing nature. 

Keefe ran there, and sat in his spot. There, he let his tears fall. His hands were shaking, his voice hoarse. 

"I hate this," he murmured. "I hate this so much. But… I could have stopped this from happening. I could have gathered the courage to confess sooner! But I was a coward, and now it's too late!"

"Are you okay Keefe?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, just to make it clear, fyie flowers are just a thing that I made up for plot convenience reasons. After like... the next chapter you don't ever seem them again so dw about them


	2. Lonely

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's incredibly painful pining after someone when they have a boyfriend. Especially when said crush is affectionate with the boyfriend. And well, Dex isn't strong enough to to bear through it as if it nothing were happening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo, welcome to Chapter 2! While I don't think my writing is particularly great, there's something about reading my original writing and knowing exactly how to make improvements that feels nice. I think I've come a long way in these 2 years!
> 
> Anyways, welcome to Dex's POV. The POVs alternate, but they aren't really consistent, so sometimes multiple chapters will pass by in one character's POV.
> 
> Enjoy!

Dinner was oddly silent. Usually, Keefe was the one who started conversations, and it kept everyone talking. It usually kept him distracted- he always found it easier to pay attention when looking at the person talking. It also meant that he wouldn't be staring at Biana as much.

But for some reason, the blonde boy kept quiet, even more so after Sophie and Fitz left the room. While the atmosphere wasn't tense, it wasn't exactly peaceful either. This led him to sneaking more glances at Biana, no matter how much he knew it was an awful idea. Right now, her head was leaning on Tam's shoulder, teal eyes gleaming.

_I really need to get over her. But she's kind, funny and courageous. She's got so much going on for her, while me? I'm the son of a bad match, a mere technopath._

Without realizing it, his fingernails were digging into his palms. He let go, staring at the crescent moon marks. 

_It's not like she's the only girl in the world,_ He reasoned with himself. _There's Linh. She's kind, and also knows how it feels to be discriminated against for something that can't be controlled._

Dex shook his head. Was he really that desperate? Was he really that desperate to not feel alone? It wasn't that Linh wasn't a good person- absolutely not- but it likely didn't help that she was crushing on some elf he hardly knew.

It took all of his willpower to not sneak another glance at Biana, and instead at the empty seat where Keefe had been sitting. Apparently, he also seemed to have left the room.

After another minute, Biana broke the silence. "You wanna play truth or dare?"

Startled, he replied with a no. Linh agreed. Biana was whispering in Tam's ear, and surprisingly, he agreed.

"I guess there's still three people to account for," Dex pointed out, even though he wasn't in the mood for the game.

"But Fitz and Sophie will say no!" She whined.

"Let's see what they have to say," Linh suggested.

They waited there for a few minutes, and he couldn't help but notice as Tam ran his hand through his girlfriend's hair. He wasn't sure how much longer he could sit there, not when it was quiet again.

 _Air,_ he realized, as he fiddled with clammy hands. _I need air._

"I'm going to go look for them," he mumbled, standing up. 

"Great idea!" Biana agreed, and that was all he needed before he ran out of the room.

In this state, there was no way he was going to look for more people. Not when he could feel his breaths quicken, his face burning. Dex practically stumbled out of the nearest exit, relieved to find cool air. This was a lot better.

He spotted a bench in the distance, not too far from a fountain. _I haven't been in this area before, have I?_

He walked closer, and noticed the yellow and purple flowers mixed in between the green grass. Fyie flowers. He could really use some of them.

There was a sob. It was loud and heartbreaking, but also _familiar-_ though he couldn't actually tell who it was. But there was no reason for anyone else to be out here. He levitated, careful to not make a sound, not when there was potentially a trap set by the Neverseen.

But there was no need to be on guard, not when there was a blonde boy crying under a tree. Not just any blonde boy… Keefe. _Keefe_ was crying. Before Dex could ask, Keefe began to speak. 

"I hate this. I hate this so much. But… I could have stopped this from happening. I could have gathered the courage to confess sooner! But I was a coward, and now it's too late!"

His voice was so full of emotion, and so broken. He was still sobbing, as he curled into a ball. Seeing him in such a condition was one of the worst things he'd ever seen. It wasn't right, to see someone so full of joy look like he'd lost everything. He always cracked jokes, uplifting everyone's spirits during hard times. But right now, he needed the support. 

Dex picked up one of the flowers, hoping that proximity would increase its calming effect. He set himself down beside Keefe and asked, "Are you okay Keefe?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As mentioned in this chapter, Linh does in fact like someone. In the original work, it was uh... a person she's commonly shipped with. But that was before I realized that that ship is a big nope, so I just changed it to some random elf. It doesn't really change much who the elf is, but I might just randomly create a name that'll pop up a few times. So there's that.


	3. Confessions And Consolations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keefe and Dex reveal their crushes to each other. Then they console the other. 
> 
> Biana doesn't quite read the atmosphere correctly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah, here we go, chapter 3! Looking back on this, I feel like there was so much I wanted to do in this fic, but never actually did. But yknow what, this is the edited version, so I get to make more of these changes. This chapter doesn't go through major changes, just written with slightly more emotion.
> 
> Enjoy!

After asking the question, it took around five seconds before the blonde processed that someone had spoken to him. But even then, he didn't bother looking up, head still resting by his knees.

"Go away So-" he started grumbling, before his head jerked upward. He turned and faced Dex with wide eyes. "What… what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you why you're here," Dex answered back. "You… wanna talk about it? If you want, I'll tell you why I was here afterward. But I do have a vague idea as to what was going on."

_ 'So-'… he meant Sophie, didn't he?  _ He'd also mentioned confessing. If he had gotten there too late, it meant that someone else had confessed first. He vaguely recalled Soohie and Fitz leaving the room together.

"I'll talk about it. Just don't tell anyone, please?"

He wasn't planning to, but there was no way he would be able to with the pleading look on Keefe's face. Ice blue eyes were brimming with emotion, but the tears seemed to have stopped falling. 

"Of course," Dex promised.

"I like… I like Sophie."

"So I was right!" He blurted, immediately slapping a hand over his mouth. "Sorry, continue."

Keefe didn't show any major reaction, and continued. "I was going to finally tell her, but Wonderboy got to her first. And now they're dating."

A tear streamed down his face again. Without thinking, Dex reached forward, wrapping the boy in a hug. Keefe didn't pull away, but instead laid his head on Dex's chest. 

"It's an awful feeling, I know how it is," he whispered, gently rubbing a hand across his back.

They sat like that for a few minutes, until Keefe's breathing became heavier than before. He was trying to figure out what to do next when Keefe sat up. In the process, he hit his chin, knocking him backward.

"Ow!" They both yelled, before bursting into laughter.

The moment eased the tense atmosphere, as they both sat, clutching their heads.

"You okay now?" Dex asked. 

He nodded. "Better." It was probably the best answer that he could get.

He stood up. "I'll head back inside. Biana's probably wondering where we are."

He turned, only to feel an arm tug on his sleeve.

"You can't just leave like that! You're supposed to tell me your story now!"

"Oh… right," he sighed, rubbing his neck awkwardly. "I have a crush on Biana."

Keefe flinched. "Ouch. And Bangs Boy's the one dating her. How long have they been dating, nearly a month and a half?"

"Yeah," he said. "It's been that long."

"And that's why you're a little more distant than usual?"

Dex blinked. Keefe had  _ noticed _ ? Almost as if he were reading his mind, he added on.

"I know you're kinda reserved, but you do crack jokes too and make fun of Fitzphie." He explained.

It was then that he realized that Keefe had still been holding on to his arm. Empathy, no wonder why he made that addition. Dex gently took Keefe's hand off his arm.

"Does Sophie know that you like Biana? She's your best friend, after all."

He shook his head. "She… hasn't noticed a thing. Besides, what good would that do now? It's too late."

Keefe's brow furrowed, eyes darting to his hand. "Can… I hold it? No empath tricks."

Dex nodded, his face burning at such a gesture.

He took it. "I don't think that it's too late to talk to someone. And if you need to, you could talk to me, I'll be there for you."

The words only made the blush on his face even more noticeable, or that's what he supposed had happened, as his cheeks grew even warmer.  _ It's nice to know that he feels that way. _

At that thought, even Keefe's cheeks grew red. "I mean- the friendly way! Not like that!"

"Yeah, of course! I know what you mean," Dex said, once again letting go of Keefe's hand.  _ Why did I even think like that? It's not like guys like guys, it's unheard of here. _

"So, you're just trying to forget about Biana, right?"

"If I really like her, I would want her to be happy with her choice. I shouldn't stop her from dating who she wants."

He couldn't help but notice how the ice blue eyes that had been looking at him look off to the side. Guilt.

"Keefe, what happened?"

"I… I yelled at her. And told her that if Fitz breaks her heart, she shouldn't come to me. Not only was that rude to her, that was rude to Fitz too, I mean, he's my friend. And I know that he'll treat her properly."

"I'm sure that both of them realized that you didn't mean it, that you said it out of anger," he said as assurance.

"Maybe," he sighed, but didn't sound convinced. Then his eyes lit up. "But do you know what I'm thinking?"

Since this was a Keefe idea, Dex would have no clue. It was either going to be great, or horrible. "Uh, no?"

"I want to prank Wonderboy! As revenge!"

Dex smiled. "That does sound fun. I can prank Ta-  _ Bangs Boy! _ "

"Yes!" There was now a smirk on the blonde's face. "Let's do it!"

"And how do we start?"

"I've got a list at home! We can plot later!" Keefe was practically bouncing on his feet, the enthusiasm contagious. 

"Great!"

"And it'll be Team Keefex again!"

"Keefex?" Tam asked, walking towards them with Linh and Biana trailing behind him. "What is going on?"

"Nothing, Bangs Boy!"

"Keefe!" A new voice cried, this time it was Sophie's. "There you are! You okay?"

Dex watched as Keefe tensed, the smirk turning a little more crooked than before. 

"Were you worried about me Foster?"

Sophie opened her mouth to make a reply, but was interrupted.

"Wait, hold up," Biana said. She spun around and faced Keefe. "You told me you were going to use the washroom!" Then she looked at Dex. "You were supposed to look for everybody!"

"I did find Keefe," Dex stated with a casual shrug.

She sighed. "Who even knows where Fitz is."

"He's coming," said Sophie.

As if on cue, Fitz came running towards them. "Sophie!"

"Well would you look at that," Tam muttered.

"Hey Biana, I feel like playing a game. Maybe Truth Or Dare?" Sophie suggested.

"NO!" Dex and Keefe replied in unison, because neither of them wanted their crushes to be exposed.

"What?" Biana exclaimed. "Something's wrong. Keefe doesn't want to play, but Sophie does?"

"Oh no, the world is ending!" Fitz said dramatically. "But if Sophie wants to play, so do I!"

"Yes!" The brunette squealed. "That means that we will be playing it! If you refuse or lie, that means I give you a makeover!"

Everyone groaned except for Linh. Biana was really fussy when it came to her makeovers, and no one wanted to deal with that.

"I'm not surprised," Sophie mumbled. "But it'll still be fun."

"Is this about you and F-" Keefe was cut off.

"You'll see!"

_ Keefe's right, it will be them announcing that they're dating. _

Dex turned to Keefe with a smile, and Keefe smirked back.

"What are you two planning?" Fitz asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Nothing!"

Biana started skipping towards the door, as everyone else followed. "Come on, we have a game to play!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah, remember back in the earlier wattpad Truth Or Dare days had so many truth or dare fics? Yeah apparently I had done one too, so. A little cliche, but it works I guess


	4. Beginning The Embarrassment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They all play Truth Or Dare together. And then it's time to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, I've been feeling good editing the chapters. But this one is uh... not so good. The main significant dare is kinda yikes just a little bit, but there's not really much I can do about it. So what I did was try to lessen the impact of that scene, because wow that part did end up embarrassing me
> 
> After that though, it gets better imo. Enjoy!

"I'll start," Biana said. "Sophie, Truth Or Dare?"

"Truth," she answered.

Keefe noted that usually Sophie would be terrified, but instead she was smiling.

"Remember that secret you had for a while now? Tell it to us  _ out loud _ ."

"Okay," Sophie said, her cheeks only mildly flushing pink, not the tomato red like it often would. "I like Fitz."

"I knew it! You're going to be my sister!"

"Calm down Biana," Fitz mumbled, casually reaching over to hold Sophie's waist. "You're getting ahead of yourself."

_ Fitz… it's too early for me to bear you being affectionate with her. At least, don't do it when I'm around.  _ Keefe thought. 

"Ooh," Biana squealed, teal eyes glimmering brightly. "Are you two dating?"

"Your turn is over. Wait your turn."

"Damn it!"

Sophie turned to Dex. "Truth Or Dare?"

"Uh… dare."

"Are the triplets asleep?"

He shrugged. "I think?"

"I dare you to go dye their hair neon pink!"

"Woah woah woah. Since when was Foster so devious?" Keefe teased.

She rolled her eyes while Dex sighed.

"They're going to kill me later," he declared. "But whatever."

He got up and disappeared. After a few minutes, he was back, a smirk on his face. "Actually, if I die, at least I'll die happy. Keefe, Truth Or Dare?"

"Is that even a question?" He asked. 

_ I wonder what you're going to dare me. _

He took a deep breath. "Kiss a girl on the lips, kiss a girl on the cheek and kiss a girl on the hand. And by that, I mean out of everyone in this room."

_ Sorry Foster, _ he thought.  _ I'll be kissing you. But don't worry, I'm not cruel enough to make out with you or anything like that. _

"I refuse!" Fitz grumbled. 

"It's just a dare Fitzy, it doesn't mean anything."

_ I promise you that much Fitz. You're her boyfriend. But I'll kiss her otherwise Bangs Boy will kill me. _

He glanced at Tam, who was glaring daggers at him. Then he got up and kissed Biana on the cheek, Linh on her hand, and then went up to Sophie. 

"Sorry," he murmured, just loud enough for Sophie and Fitz to hear.

Then he leaned in and gave her a peck on the lips. He consciously made sure to not accidentally linger, averting eye contact with anyone else until he returned back into his spot. Tam was flushed red with anger, while Fitz's fist was clenched, chest rising and falling with deep breaths. But despite the obvious effort to stay calm, it didn't quite work.

"I can't take this!" Fitz yelled. "You  _ know  _ that Sophie and I are together, yet you still ki-" he cut himself off, taking another deep breath. "You can't just go around kissing my girlfriend!"

"What!?" Biana, Tam and Linh all shouted.

"Yeah," Sophie said. "We're dating."

"That's fantastic! You're going to be my sister!" Biana exclaimed, her smile wide. Then her eyes narrowed as she turned to Keefe. "If you knew that they were dating, why would you kiss Sophie?"

"In my defence, if I kissed you or Linh, Bangs Boy would have brutally killed me. Fitz  _ might _ have spared me."

"Tha- Okay look, I'm going to forgive you," Fitz said. " _ But _ , make sure you don't do it again, or next time you won't be spared."

"I'm not going to steal Foster, I promise," Keefe replied. And he meant it. "Hey Bangs Boy, Truth Or Dare?"

"Knowing you, I'm picking truth."

"Did you ever have a crush on someone before Biana?"

"No."

Keefe looked at him, seeking any signs of a lie. But his voice was calm, his face neutral, and he even made eye contact when saying it. There was no fidgeting or anything.

"Well damn, I thought you would have."

"Actually," Linh said. "He did. About a year before we were banished."

Tam shot her a look, and Dex snorted. "Really?"

"Yep!" Linh said, clearly ignoring her brother. "He thought they were soulmates!"

"Bangs Boy? Soulmates?" Keefe burst into laughter, and then it became a cackle. "Thats got to be the funniest thing I've ever heard!" He doubled over in hysterics, pretending to wipe away a tear.

"I would have greatly preferred a makeover to this, Linh," Tam grumbled.

"I think this is absolutely hilarious!" Dex said.

Everyone else began to laugh too, and Tam flushed red before blanketing himself with shadows.

The game continued on, with it lasting a decent amount of time. In short, the highlights were: Tam was wearing a dress; Dex had black hair with orange stripes; Fitz refusing to play; Biana had short hair; Sophie had a huge makeover on her; Linh was embarrassed after revealing her crush on some elf named Sinclair; and Keefe, well, he was forced to roll around in Silveny's poop- which was really glittery.

_ Curse you, Bangs Boy! _ He thought while trying to get it out of his hair.  _ You do NOT mess with the hair! _

When he finished his shower, the game had finished, and it was time for bed. The girls went to Biana's room, while the boys went to Fitz's. 

"Hey Keefe," Dex whispered as they walked together.

"Yeah?"

"You wouldn't mind if we put our sleeping bags near each other, would you? I'm not sure if I'll be able to fall asleep, and it'd be nice if we were able to talk if needed."

"That's fine with me."

They set their sleeping bags beside each other and went inside. The room was quiet, even peaceful, as the others seemed to be asleep. Yet Keefe was still awake, his mind replaying the horrible moments from earlier that day.

_ Foster, beautiful and kind Foster. Ugh, and I yelled at her for no good reason! I'm such an idiot! _

He rolled over to lay on his side, trying to find a comfortable position.

"Can't sleep?" Dex whispered, startling Keefe.

"Yeah," he sighed. "Can't stop thinking Foster. I feel bad for yelling at her, I mean, why should I be controlling who she wants to date?"

"I'm sure she'll forgive you," Dex said assuringly, and it did feel convincing. But…

"That's the thing. She's always going to forgive us, so it doesn't really help."

"Hey," he began. "Why don't we start pranking from now?"

Keefe thought it over, and smiled. "It's not like I was going to be able to sleep anyway. Might as well be productive."

Quietly, they got up as Keefe led Dex to another room. 

"Where are we going?"

"To my secret pranking stash!" Keefe answered.

"Of course you'd have one here," he mumbled. "What's the plan?"

"What if we tamper with their hair products? It's evil, but brilliant."

"Yes Keefe, you're the most brilliant elf I know," Dex said sarcastically. 

"I know!" He agreed, not catching on. "What if we use Euphaly powder?"

"Keefe, that's absolutely awful! It's going to seriously mess up their hair! Let's do it."

Keefe smiled innocently. "It's  _ only  _ going to make their hair sticky and smell bad."

Dex rolled his eyes. "I mean, yeah. Anyways, thanks for being here with me."

"Are you kidding me? You think I'd pass up a chance to prank someone!?" He exclaimed, then immediately shut his mouth when he realized how loud he was being.

They heard laughter, as Alden came out of one of the many doors. "What's going on here?"

"Nothing!" Keefe replied.

"If you say so. Dex, make sure it isn't something too serious." He gave them a wink and left.

"Well…" Dex trailed off, before shrugging helplessly. "If only he knew." 

He started laughing, and Keefe couldn't help but laugh along with him. The laugh was light and soft, unlike his own loud one.

_ His laugh is contagious actually _ , he thought.  _ You can't not laugh with him _ .

"But about earlier," Keefe said abruptly. "I told you that I'll be there. So there's no need to thank me."

They finally got to Keefe's secret stash, grabbed the powder, and quickly made their way to prank the two sleeping boys. When they finished putting the powder in the hair products, they went back to their sleeping bags. 

His mind felt more at ease, some of the tension being dissipated. But it wasn't quite enough to get him to sleep.

"You need help getting to sleep?" Dex murmured.

"I'm fine," he replied, not wanting to be a bother.

Dex sat up anyways, scooting closer towards him. He gently lifted Keefe's head and rested it in his lap, before threading his fingers through his hair.

"What are yo-" But all Keefe could feel was warmth.

Dex's hands were really warm, and surprisingly soft. It diverted his focus away from the mess that was his thoughts. All he could feel was warmth and calm. He closed his eyes and relished in the feeling.

"Is it fine?" Dex asked.

"Yeah, it is." He opened his mouth to say more, but ended up yawning. "How'd you know what to do?"

"Lex used to have sleeping problems. I used to give him massages, and it helped him sleep. Figured it'd work for you."

"Thank you Dex. Goodnight," he whispered, drifting off to sleep.


	5. Just Hanging Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dex wakes up and starts to confuse himself. The pranking from the might before comes into effect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh, I'm surprised that I've kept up my schedule so far! I don't have much to say about this chapter tbh.
> 
> Anyways, enjoy!

Dex woke up to the feeling of the triplets on top of him. It took a few moments to remember that he wasn't in Rimeshire though, but in Everglen. Meaning that whoever was on top of him was not one of the triplets. He opened his eyes and saw blond hair resting on his chest, and he nearly sprang up in shock. Even more so when he realized that his arm was wrapped around the body.

_ Why… why am I hugging Keefe? _

Carefully, he sat up, making sure that Keefe would stay comfortable. His face was lacking the usual grin, looking entirely calm and peaceful. The expression on his face was almost angelic. The messy state of his hair only added to that effect.

He exhaled, and then realized what he'd been doing. 

_ What am I doing? Why did I stare at him like that? _

He rubbed his eyes to properly wake himself up, and gently lifted Keefe's head off of him. Then he went and freshened himself up.

•~•~•~•~•~•

"Keefe? Keefe. Keefe, wake up!" Dex whisper-yelled, gently shaking the boy awake.

"Why?" Keefe mumbled, rolling over. "It's way too early for this."

"Ta- Bangs Boy is about to do his hair!" Dex said excitedly.

Keefe sat up. "And now I'm awake!" He got up as they headed out of the room. 

He looked outside and saw that Fitz walked into a second washroom, a bottle of hair gel in hand. 

"Ooh, both of them at once!" Keefe smirked, rubbing his hands together.

Dex held up a hand, counting backwards with his fingers.  _ 5\. 4. 3. 2. 1… _

"Keefe Sencen!" Tam yelled.

"Dex!" Fitz hollered.

"What was that for!?" They both screamed in unison, storming over to where the pranking duo was.

"For the record Bangs Boy,  _ I  _ wasn't the one who messed with your hair," Keefe stated.

"And  _ I _ didn't prank you Wonderboy," Dex said.

"Keefe," Fitz groaned, rubbing his face with his hand. "You pranked me, didn't you?"

"Of course! Who else would prank you than the master prankster himself?"

Tam rolled his eyes and turned to face Dex. "Let me guess? You pranked me? But why, I don't see why you'd have a grudge against me."

_ It's a little petty, and something completely out of your control.  _

But instead, Dex decided to joke around. "If Keefe gets to prank Wonderboy, who else would I get to prank?"

The two boys who had gotten pranked left the room, probably to go get the stickiness out of their hair.

"That was amazing!" Keefe grinned. "Their reactions were priceless!"

Keefe raised his hand, and Dex gave him a high five. Dex went downstairs, while Keefe went to clean his teeth. It was quiet when they ate breakfast, mostly due to the fact that Tam and Fitz were glaring at them.

"Nice hair," Biana teased. "Doesn't smell too good though."

"You two are just sulking," Sophie pointed out. "Cheer up."

"What even happened?" Linh asked.

"They got pranked," Keefe explained. 

Dex laughed and agreed.

"Should've figured that it was your fault." Biana stood up from her chair.

"It was Dex," said Tam. "He caused this. Go get him."

When Biana started running towards him, he knew he had to run. It didn't take long for her to catch up and tackle him to the ground. Then they were all laughing, the atmosphere of the room considerably lighter. Well, except in Dex's case.

_ Ignore the proximity. Ignore it. Ign- _

Biana got off of him, and he nearly sighed in relief.

"Hey Soph?" Fitz asked. "Keefe messed up my hair, can you get him too?"

Keefe crossed his arms, a smug expression on his face. "Foster would never d-"

He was cut off by his own yelp, as Sophie had gone up to him and pushed him off of his chair.

"How could you do this?" He whined. "This is betrayal!"

Alden and Della walked in. "Keefe, Dex, the smell isn't really pleasant, can you deal with it?" Alden asked.

"That gets rid of half the fun!" Keefe protested.

"Don't you think it's 'fun' enough that my hair's so sticky?" Fitz asked. "It's annoying when I accidentally run my hand through my hair and then… ew. So Keefe, may you spare me from having my hair stink too?"

"It does stink," Dex agreed. 

"Bu-"

Dex gave him a smile, hoping that his message would be conveyed in that one look. Keefe nodded, and then left the room. A few minutes later, he came back, a peck of orange powder in hand.

Dex bit his lip in an attempt to keep himself from bursting into laughter. He knew Keefe would get something that would somewhat make it better, but this was very visible. He watched as Tam and Fitz took the powder and put it in their hair. After a minute, the dark hair upon their heads turned bright orange.

"My bangs!" Tam wailed. "Really?"

The duo laughed. "Are you crying over  _ this? _ "

Both Fitz and Sophie scoffed at Keefe. "As if you haven't done the same thing."

Keefe gasped, before setting a finger on his lip. "Shh, we don't speak about that. Oh, and you're gonna want an explanation, right? This is the only thing that reverses the scent effect. Right Dex?"

"Yep!" Dex lied. There was actually a second item that could do the same thing, with less side effects. "Personally, I'd prefer the orange. It behaves weirdly with the hair dyes, so I wouldn't suggest dyeing it. Besides, both of the effects should wear off after a day."

"But there's Foxfire tomorrow!" Tam and Fitz yelled. Then they left the room.

After that, the others burst into laughter.

"You lied, didn't you?" Biana asked.

Keefe put up his hands. "Guilty."

"But not the entire thing," Dex added. "The time limit would have been the same regardless of the situation. And the hair dyes really would mess it up further."

"But there wasn't a need to make their hair orange?" Sophie guessed.

"Yeah."

"Keefe! Dex!" Linh scolded. "As funny as the entire situation is, didn't you think that it was a little too much?"

The both of them shrugged. They continued to eat their breakfast, most of them eating neatly. Except Keefe. There was food all over his face, and unsurprisingly, there was none in his hair. It was almost adorable, actually.  _ He was kinda cute an- what did I just think about? _

He'd been fiddling with an indigoober in his hands. Only half-thinking, he threw the food at Keefe.

"Dex!" Keefe screamed. "This means war!"

With that, a food war had begun. The two of them tossed their food at each other. The others were caught in the crossfire, so they began to join in too. They were were making a mess and laughing until they realized how big of mess they had made.

"We're ba- we were gone for like five minutes. What happened?" Fitz laughed. "Looks like I'm not the only mess."

Dex smiled at that statement, before asking the others to help him clean up the mess that he'd started.

"Wait, it wasn't Keefe who started it?" Tam asked. "That's a first."

The group started their cleanup, while Tam and Fitz stood aside, since they had just showered and had nothing to do with it. After cleaning up, Dex took a shower and then went to look for the others. He found Keefe and Tam talking in one of the rooms.

"If you were awake the entire time, then how come you got pranked?" Keefe asked.

Tam grumbled. "Dex was smart enough to not dump everything in one bottle."

Hearing that his name had been called, he decided to walk in. "Thought he might get suspicious. Good idea, wasn't it?"

"Yeah yeah," Tam mumbled. "What's going on between you two?"

"I  _ told  _ you Bangs Boy, he was just giving me a massage. He told me he did that with Lex. That's like saying he's interested in his own brother!" Keefe yelled, annoyance clear in his tone.

They all cringed at that last sentence.

"Okay, that got weird."

"It did," Tam agreed. "Okay, but you fell asleep. Do you even know what happened after?"

From what he was hearing from this conversation, Tam was inquiring about the previous night. A few brief images flashed through his mind, and his face went red.

"That's uh… none of your business!"

"So there  _ is  _ some-"

"I put Keefe to sleep. I hardly remember anything else. Just leave the matter alone."

_ All I remember was running my hand through his soft hair. I was… calm? And I did wake up with his head on my chest and I was hugging him. When would that have happened? Ah- snap out of it! I'm so glad that Keefe can't sense my emotions right now, because this is embarrassing! _

"Okay," Tam conceded, before leaving them alone.

The silence was awkward, so Dex decided to speak up.

"You can still come to me if you need help sleeping," Dex offered. "We can just forget that this conversation even happened."

"Yeah, we don't need whatever this is to ruin our friendship."

Dex nodded, but there was something about that sentence that made his heart ached briefly. But he shrugged it off. Keefe's imparter rang, and Dex left so he could talk to his dad in private. Keefe came and said that he had to leave, so he left Everglen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everybody out here ready to yell at Dex for being oblivious, right? Dw, the suffering doesn't last for too long. But well, its an edited version, so maybe it'll last longer than before *laughs evilly*


	6. Bored At Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keefe spends the rest of his day at home. He's bored, for the most part.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I give myself a week to make my edits but wow I keep procrastinating and doing the majority of it the day I have to upload. Anyways, its 11:21pm, but it's still Wednesday, so I still win (idc if ao3 counts this as tomorrow)
> 
> Anyways, enjoy!

Keefe leapt to the Shores Of Solace, as his dad had wanted him home. He was bored, still thinking about that botched confession, and he  _ really _ doesn't want to hear what his father has to say this time. When he entered the home, his father was already there, glaring at the doorway.

"Keefe Sencen, how many times do I have to tell you to finish your homework?" Cassius stood up. "Midterms are soon, and you are to be in the Elite Levels next year. More importantly, you are the one carrying the Sencen name, and I expect you to not ruin it."

Keefe barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He never planned to work with the Council for the rest of his eternal life, so either way he was going to be a disappointment. 

"I already finished it."

Cassius raised an eyebrow. "Really? Then what is this?" He held out a paper.

Unfortunately, it was one that he easily recognized.

"I was under the impression that you were done with this waste of time."

Said waste of time was a drawing that Keefe had scribbled when he was half asleep. One that he'd made while doing his The Universe homework.

"I did do it. The answers are written down and I drew the stars, just as asked. I'm trying to get full marks for accuracy and neatness," he explained, but he knew full well that it was just an excuse. But as long as it would distract his father, it would be fine.

"What about at the bottom of the page?"  _ Well crap. _ "It looks like you and Sop-"

He reached for the paper. "I will go fix it. And make sure that there are no other mistakes on my other homework."

"I better not see a single mistake, for all the revisions that you'll be doing."

"Okay."

And if his father had said anything more, Keefe ignored it, rushing to his room and flopping onto his bed. After he buried his face into a pillow and groaned, he got up.

"Oh, you're back," Ro said casually, not bothering to look at him as she sharpened her nails.

"You're back too," he replied.

He grabbed a pencil and looked at his art. It was a picture of the stars for his homework, but at the bottom, there was a very small doodle of him and Sophie looking up at the stars. He sighed, knowing that his fantasies would stay fantasies.

He erased it- he didn't even know why he had drawn it in the first place, it was homework. But his feelings were strong, and they only intensified during his half asleep state. After that, he picked up his other school work, because he had nothing else to do, and would prefer to not get yelled at.

"You looked miserable earlier, but are you really so miserable that you're actually doing your work?" Ro asked.

"I'm fine."

"Your daddy said his usual thing, and you're all sad  _ now _ out of all times. Did… did you get rejected?"

Keefe didn't reply, and cursed her for being perceptive. 

"Okay, you're no fun moping like that. So spill. Did she reject you or not? Or did you chicken out  _ again _ ?"

He buried his face in his hands and groaned dramatically. "Leave."

She stood up. "Okay. Then I'll go and ask around."

It took a second for him to process it, and by then she was already at the door.

"Wait! Fine, I'll tell you! I confessed, but Fitz got there first! So I was rejected, happy?" He yelled.

"No, not really," she said nonchalantly. "I'm not surprised considering that you avoided it so many times."

"Why are you here again?"

"To make your life difficult? But seriously, they're probably gonna break up soon."

Keefe laughed sarcastically. "As if."

"She'll realize that you're better. Just… don't act jealous and be yourself."

"Since when did you know so much about romance? You thought it was too sappy and stupid?"

Ro shrugged. "That, was common sense. Don't be mean."

_ And I didn't apologize to Foster yet. Crap. _

"What did you do?" Ro asked, and once again Keefe cursed her for being so damn perceptive.

"I yelled at her, and told her that if she gets her heart broken, she shouldn't come to me."

Ro facepalmed, then rubbed her forehead with her fingers. "Stupid. So much for impressing her. But you know, she'll probably forgive you."

"Yeah, I know that already! And I already know what I'm going to do next. I'm going to give up on her."

"And lose the battle?"

"Battle? What battle. She's not a prize that I have to battle for. Besides, it's what she would want."

"If you say so, Lover Boy."

Ro left the room to go who knows where, but Keefe continued to lay on his bed. He stared down his work, all of his answers looking right. He checked until the words were a blur and no longer made any sense. He could see, but his brain couldn't process anything, not when he was still thinking about the incident. 

It was hunger that brought him out of his slump. He went downstairs and got his food, but instead of eating it there, he ate it in his room. Ro was back in there, and set him a concerned look.

It was then late in the evening, there was nothing to do. School work made his brain hurt, so he didn't want to do that. He couldn't really go out anywhere. He laid on his bed and hoped that if he closed his eyes for long enough, he would sleep. But even that wouldn't work, but at least this, he knew why.

Before he could second guess himself, Keefe grabbed his imparter and hailed Sophie.

"Hey, what is it Keefe?"

"Sorry for yesterday," he murmured. "I shouldn't have acted like that, like I was entitled to your love or something. I shouldn't have said that."

"I… I understand, I think. Jealousy and heartbreak, it's not good. Just, know that I do love you, just not in the same way that you like me." Her face was soft, and while her words hurt, they were also soothing. Because she  _ did _ care. 

"Are you mad at me?"

"Maybe a little," she admitted. "I think that you should apologize to Fitz. And that you won't go unpunished for this and the game yesterday." Her lips quirked in a smile with that.

"Woah, I'm scared Foster," Keefe said mockingly, because the conversation had been dealt with.

"As you should be." With that, she hung up.

He laid back in bed, his entire body light from all the tension that it had mere minutes before. The tension was replaced with energy, not the restless, anxious kind but the one that was excitement. His hands itched to prank again. He hailed Dex.

"Sorry, did I uh… disturb you?" Keefe asked.

Dex grinned. "You just saved me from the triplets!"

"Wanna discuss more pranking?"

"Sure!"

"Remember how Bangs Boy made us have that awkward conversation? Well, we should prank him for that."

There was a slight flush on Dex's cheeks, but he also looked like he had ran, so that was probably why.

"Again?"

He shrugged. "Why not?"

"Good point."

"Let's make his uniform pink!" Keefe suggested.

"What shade?"

"Baby pink! Or an eye hurt-y one!"

Dex snorted. "Let's… not get him into trouble. We can do multiple colours though, but make the main colour a little closer to red."

Keefe huffed. "Fine, rusty pink?"

"Uh, I guess? A little less red than I thought but it works. We could add splashes of other pinks in less obvious spots. Also, it will make him want to kill us less."

"Good enough," he conceded.

They began talking about more things, like pranking Fitz or Stina. Apparently Stina had done something, but Dex wouldn't specify what it was. They spent an hour talking to each other, Dex's voice soft and excited. Keefe yawned.

"Good night Dex, we'll get up early tomorrow for the prank."

"Good night."

Keefe hung up, his eyelids falling shut. He fell asleep as his head hit the pillows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually changed a decent amount in this chapter. Nothing significant, but smaller details. One of them important to what I'm currently trying to write in the already updated version. Its a better setup, and it makes more sense. Woo!
> 
> Also, sometimes, I think about the way I write Ro, and I love her, but then I think of canon and she's not as great as I remembered her? Idk I haven't actually read one of the books in a while and still not Unlocked, but there was discourse. Anyways while she seems more closer to canon in this chapter, she's more of just some who's super snarky and teases Keefe, and pretends not to care about him but actually she has a soft spot.


	7. A Little (But Not Much) Humiliation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once again, there are more pranks. Also, Dex finds himself in a situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, good thing I started editing this chapter earlier. It was already a little long compared to my others (not by much), and I added more detail to it. Its like 50% longer than it used to be. Man, school is back and it's killing my time.
> 
> Also, I'm sure you're here expecting some internalized homophobia, but this is where it starts. (Its more intense then it was before). Good news, it won't last too long, because I'm a fluff writer, but it'll be way more impactful than how I originally wrote it.
> 
> Alrighty, enjoy!

When Dex had received the hail from Keefe, he was smiling from all the happiness that he was feeling. It was mostly relief from not having to deal with the triplets, but there was some other reason. He couldn't pinpoint what it was, the other reason for his elation. He shrugged it off though.

The conversation that Keefe had briefly brought up stirred more of that odd feeling, he could almost feel it in his gut. But once pranking was brought up, it had vanished.

It was established that they would meet together at Keefe's by 7 am, and from there they would go prank Tam. That's where he was currently, at 7:15, and still no sign of the blond haired boy. He pulled out his imparter, because this was ridiculous, and they would be late.

"Keefe?" He called.

There was a groan, a few indecipherable murmurs, and if he wasn't wrong, there was also the sound of a bed shifting.

He was proven right when Keefe asked for the time. His voice was low and quiet.

"It's 7:15. You're seriously not awake yet?"

There was a loud shriek, and then footsteps. "I'm sorry!" Then the call ended. Two minutes later, the gates were open and Keefe came running out.

"Why weren't you awake?" Dex whisper-yelled. 

Keefe stretched. "A guy needs his beauty sleep, y'know?"

"Then why did you make plans?"

"Okay okay, you win."

"Figured. Also, where's the materials?"

"Crap." Then he dashed back inside to go find his pranking materials.

Dex followed him with a sigh. "Really Keefe?"

Keefe already managed to get out of sight, so instead, Dex started looking for his room. But he was completely lost.

"It's the door on your left," a gruff, feminine voice said.

Dex spun around, his heart beating rapidly. The one who had scared him was leaning against a wall, a grin on her face.

"I'm still not used to you," he whispered, taking slow breaths to calm himself down.

"I just think that it's too easy to scare you elves," Ro replied.

Dex didn't try to respond to that, as he entered Keefe's room. 

"Have you not been here before?" Ro asked.

"No. I haven't even been to Candleshade before."

She raised an eyebrow. "Really now? Most of his other friends have gone."

"Well I'm not like most of his friends, am I?" He muttered. Then he realized what he'd said.

_ It is annoying being left behind, but I am doing something though. At least I'm being useful.  _

Ro hummed, a questioning noise.

_ Okay, I can pretend that it never happened. _

"Nothing."

He finally opened the door to Keefe's room, and was surprised by how it looked like. Everything looked neat and organized, which was odd, because Keefe didn't really seem that way. He wasn't sure how messy he was expecting it to be, but everything was spotless. 

"For the 'master prankster', it's awfully neat," he remarked to himself.

"Hey!" There was a protest. "It's not like I've been here long. Also don't you even dare say anything Ro."

The ogre huffed and rolled her eyes, but otherwise kept quiet. Keefe double checked that everything was prepared. But as they made to leave, they ran into Lord Cassius.

"I do hope that you've taken a shower already," he said. "And what is a guest doing here so early?"

"I was going to take an evening shower, and Dex and I were leaving for Foxfire."

There was something nervous in Keefe's tone, and he couldn't blame him. Lord Cassius was taller than them, his stern face only adding to the intimidation. But also, it felt like more than that, and Dex didn't know how to feel about it. He was lucky that his own parents were friendly and even mischievous at times, and that Keefe's father wasn't the best. But Dex had the urge to flee.

"Take one now." Keefe's father turned around and left.

"Okay, just wait for me in my room, okay?" Keefe asked.

"Okay."

Dex waited until Keefe went into the bathroom, then pulled out a bottle from his pocket.

"Ooh, Keefe doesn't own that one," Ro said, peering over his shoulder. "Are you using it on him?"

Dex nodded. Keefe didn't realize it, but shortly before he had been hailed, Sophie hailed him, asking to prank Keefe. He agreed, even when Sophie asked for it to be something noticeable.

It was funny, because she rarely hailed him unless she needed something- which, he supposed was still the case. He was the alchemist of the group, so of course she would have to hail him. He sighed, hoping that those bitter feelings would just go away. He really didn't need them.

"I know where his hair products are, and I have easier access to them. Do I pour the entire thing?" Ro asked, as he scanned the room for bottles.

"That would be helpful. Only half is needed."

"What does it do though?"

"It changes the colour and style of the user's hair every fifteen minutes. It's completely random."

"His pride and joy," she grinned, taking the bottle from his hands. "That'll be fun to see." Then she was gone.

_ Well, you're joining the coloured-hair group. Good thing I already had one of these made beforehand, they're a pain to make! _

It only took a minute before Ro was back, and gave him back the bottle. It took a much longer time for Keefe to finish his shower. Then he had to wait for Keefe to style his hair, which took even longer.

"We're really late at this point," he said, walking over to the leapmaster. "It might be difficult to not get caught."

Keefe smirked. "That's half the fun!"

They leapt to where Tam and Linh were staying. Dex opened the door slightly, just enough to see if anyone was there. When he saw nothing, he crept inside.

"Making life even more difficult for my brother?" A soft voice asked.

But despite it being soft, it still scared the two boys a lot, making them jump. 

Linh laughed. "He's taking a shower. Room's over there." She pointed to a door not too far from where they were. "Just… let him be for a few days after, okay?"

Keefe snatched the dye from his hands and ran off to the room. Dex thanked her and then followed him. By the time he entered the room, he was already holding a red uniform. He started applying the dye, and Dex stood back. His ice blue eyes gleamed with excitement, blond hair falling in front of his face. Dex looked away when he realized that he was staring.

_ Again? I'm staring at him  _ again?  _ I mean, he does look nice, but I shouldn't be staring! He's a guy! Or… is this just because he's paying attention to me now. That's probably it. That's probably why I even thought I had a crush on Sophie in the first place. _

"You've been quiet," Keefe remarked.

"Oh- um, yeah, I'm not really sure what to say, so I just keep quiet."

Seconds after he said that, Keefe's hair turned into electric blue spikes. He burst out laughing. 

Keefe looked at him with a confused look. "Why are you laughing?"

"I'm imaging Tam's reaction to this and- are you dyeing  _ all _ of his uniforms?"

"Yep!" Keefe replied. "Can't make him wear a clean one."

"Or," Dex cut in, reaching for the clothes will telekinesis. "Just hide the rest of them." He took them out of the room, and hid them under one of the other beds.

"That works too. Well, we're done!"

As they started making their way out, they heard a door click, so they ran for the front door. They kept it open a little bit, because Keefe wanted to see the reaction. A few moments later, there was a shout.

"Linh!"

"Yes Tammy?"

"She calls him Tammy?" Keefe snickered, his hair only making his eyes stand out further, emphasizing how bright they were along with his smile. "That's hilarious!"

Linh began to giggle.

"Was anyone here?"

Linh calmed down, and told him that nobody had come. Dex watched in horror as Keefe opened the door a little more enough to put his head through, then stuck his tongue out at Tam. Unfortunately, Tam noticed.

" _ Keefe _ !"

The two of them ran to the leapmaster, and went to Foxfire. They separated, so they could gather their stuff and go to class. Dex had alchemy first, which as usual, was good. 

When he went for lunch, he was surprised to see Keefe with the rest of his friends. Considering that he was usually at detention, it was an accomplishment. Everyone stared at him weirdly.

"What?" Keefe asked. "You all missed the Keefester? I don't end up in detention every day, y'know."

The crew burst out laughing.

"Lunch is perfectly fine without you," Marella joked. "But yeah, you're here, but also, yo-"

Dex put a finger to his lips, hoping that she would see and keep quiet. She did, so she stopped talking.

Keefe shrugged. "I didn't do anything too bad today, I would say. Didn't get caught ditching."

The hair on Keefe's head shifted again, from multi-coloured curls to black bangs. Dex clapped a hand to his mouth to not laugh, but some of the others failed to keep it in. Sophie shot him a proud look, and it felt nice. Nobody answered Keefe's question as to why they laughed, until Tam came, fuming.

"Is Keefe here?" Tam was actually standing behind Keefe, which only made it funnier.

"I don't know where he is," Biana replied.

"Wh-" Keefe began, only to be cut off by Tam.

"I know he's here, I saw him come with his mul-"

Keefe turned around and glared. "I'm right here! How can you not notice!"

Tam smirked. "I rock the hairstyle better than you do."

Keefe opened his mouth in shock, it was hilarious to see how offended he looked. "My hair is way better than yours!"

Nobody bothered defending him. Finally, Sophie spoke.

"Keefe, you're oblivious."

"You're one to talk," Biana muttered jokingly.

Keefe put a hand to his hair, then winced. "What happened?"

"Someone must have pranked you," Tam answered, glancing at Dex, a questioning look on his face. Dex nodded.

"But who!? And how long has it been like this?"

"Um…" Dex began. "Since-"

"It all makes sense! That's why everyone looked at me weirdly! Even my mentors!"

"You're the empath though, you should have been able to tell," Fitz said.

"I have to touch them in order to do that," Keefe replied.

"Can you not read facial expressions? Can you not feel your hair change?" Marella asked.

"Eh."

They continued to eat lunch. Some elves passed by, laughing at the looks of Keefe, Fitz and Tam. But after the combined glares from all three of them, the laughing would stop. Keefe's hair shifted again, into a pink ponytail, and then again, long and wavy. Keefe would panic, but Dex assured him that he didn't look that bad. 

_ He… really doesn't. He looks… good. Maybe with any kind of hairsty- _

His nails dug into his palm, hoping that it would get rid of the thought.

_ I don't  _ like _ him, do I? _

He could feel his heart beat faster than before.

_Was I always this conscious about someone's appearance? Did I think of Biana and Sophie that much?_ _Is there something wrong with me?_

Even after lunch, he couldn't get rid of the thought. His thoughts about romance were never this prevalent, what was going on? Those ice blue eyes haunted him. Dex was sure that he had zoned out during Elvin History multiple times, even gaining a concerned look from his mentor. But nothing was done about it.

After class, he headed to Elwin. He would probably know best about this kind of thing, because maybe he was sick and it was making him think weird thoughts?

_ But what if they aren't just 'weird thoughts?' _ A part of his mind asked him. Dex ignored it, refusing to think more about it.

He stepped into the healing centre, concentrating on each step, so he would walk where he needed to go, and not back down.

"Hello Dex!" Elwin greeted cheerfully. "What's up? You injured?"

"No," he breathed. "But, I think there's something wrong? Can I… ask you something?"

"You could ask me anything."

"Can we… go somewhere more private?" Dex continued, looking towards the back of the room.

Elwin agreed, and they went to the back.

"What's wrong?"

"Am I sick? I keep… I keep getting thoughts about how a… boy is attractive. Is there a reason I'm thinking like this?"

Elwin hummed, resting his chin on his hand. "It just sounds like a crush, except on a guy. It's never happened before though. You look and sound fine."

"Can you check if I'm sick?" He asked. He was probably sounding desperate, based on the look that Elwin had on his face.

"I doubt it." But he still gathered his things and did a quick checkup. "As I thought, you're perfectly fine."

"Is it because I'm the son of a bad match?" He hated bringing it up… but what if was a possibility. It felt more likely than what he'd been feeling all day. "Is this just something new, is there something wrong with me?"

The door opened, but neither of them noticed.

"Dex." The sound was short, but also clear. Elwin rested a hand on his shoulder. "If you think a guy's attractive, then that's just it. There's nothing wrong with you. My suggestion, just wait and see where your feelings take you. If it's just a one time thing, then that's it. If it grows into something more, then it's something more. I don't think that it's as complicated as you're making it out to be. Just pay attention to your own feelings, and don't neglect them, okay?"

"Okay."

"Elwin! Where are you?" A familiar voice called out.

_ Since when was Keefe in here? Did he hear that!? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I wasn't going for such a fast-burn romance, I would definitely write Dex as demi. It just makes sense in my head. Maybe I'm just projecting (I'm just straight up aro, but I questioned if I was demi on so many occasions, so like the struggle. And my answer and Dex's answers are the opposite.)
> 
> Also... if you want, you can recommend me prank ideas? They'd be useful for the future updates.


	8. A Teensy Bit Confused

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keefe noticed that Dex has been acting a little strange. What's going on?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Earlier this time! Ooh, I can't believe we're already at chapter 8! This chapter is pretty long, but it was also pretty fun, so woo!
> 
> Editing certain scenes were hard though. Because I definitely haven't included enough of the bodyguards, and I feel like the outcome of the scenes would change if the bodyguards would speak. 
> 
> Anyways, enjoy!

Class was boring, not that Keefe had been there to attend it. He definitely enjoyed ditching way more. It wasn't that learning was the problem, but the teaching style was not working for him. He was forced to sit still in an uncomfortable chair as the mentor would drone on and on about something that he would never actually need to know about. It would lull him to sleep. The best part of Foxfire were the lunches, where he could freely fool around, see Sophie and the rest of his friends.

Foxfire ended and he was relieved, because he didn't have to deal with school. But when he recalled the look on his father's face earlier that morning, he sighed. He would have to go home immediately, or risk making him even angrier. The good news though was that he knew exactly what to expect, there was no surprise.

But still, his body felt heavy as he approached the door. His steps were slow and steady, he was prepared for yelling. When it didn't immediately come, he relaxed just a little bit, walking a little bit faster than before. He put his stuff away and grabbed a snack when Lord Cassius came.

"Keefe!" He called, entering the dining room.

"Yeah dad?" He replied.

Cassius glared. "May I have an explanation as to why a Dizznee was in here?"

"Dex is my friend," Keefe answered, doing his best to keep his tone cool and calm. If he started yelling now, it would just be a shouting match.

"First Sophie Foster, the one who has caused lots of trouble. Now, a Dizznee?"

Keefe grit his teeth. This was escalating too fast, and he wasn't going to be able to keep calm for much longer. "Don't insult him."

"He's a  _ Dizznee _ . Don't you understand how he's going to influence you negatively?"

There went his efforts. "What bad has he done? Tell me! Is it just really the fact that he's the son of a bad match? Well I don't care about that!" Keefe snapped, leveling a glare at his father. "You're too stuffy, too trapped in your own ego to be able to notice the world around you! There's no way you'd be able to recognize and cherish a nice person, because  _ you _ aren't!"

Cassius blinked, his eyes burning bright. "In your room, now!"

Keefe turned around. "Fine by me!"

He stormed into his room and sat down. With deep breaths, he could feel the anger start to dissipate.  _ I haven't felt that angry in a while. Why was I that angry? _

_ Dex is my friend though. If anyone insulted Foster or Fitz like that, I'd probably be even more angry. But Dex doesn't deserve this, he's kind and hardworking. _

He grabbed a paper and pencil and started drawing. The pencil moved back and forth in his fingers, but he didn't realize what he'd actually drawn until there was a rough sketch in front of him. In the foreground there was him and Dex, standing back to back. In front of Keefe was Fitz, while Tam was in front of Dex- both looking like they had gotten pranked. Sophie, Biana, Linh and Marella were on the sides, laughing.

It was adorable, and it made him laugh. But doing that, he ended up falling over, his hand crashing into a sharp tool. He winced, even though he'd taken much worse damage.

He snuck to the leapmaster, as he knew his father would yell at him for being out of his room. He leapt to Foxfire and went to the healing centre. As he walked in, he could hear Elwin talk to someone.

"My suggestion, just wait and see where your feelings take you. If it's just a one time thing, then that's it. If it grows into something more, then it's something more. I don't think that it's as complicated as you're making it out to be. Just pay attention to your own feelings, and don't neglect them, okay?" 

Whatever conversation was going on felt personal, and he felt bad for intruding. It sounded like romance? Keefe wanted to turn away, because he intruded. But instead, he kept going, pretending to ignore that whole thing.

"Hey Elwin, where are you?" He called out, faking enthusiasm.

"I'll be right there! What do you need?"

"Accidentally cut my palm, nothing too big," he answered, walking towards them.

As he got closer, he could see who Elwin had been talking to.

_ Dex? Why would Dex talk to Elwin about a crush? It's not like he isn't able to recognize the signs.  _

"Dex? What are you doing here, you okay?"

Said boy didn't look that okay. His legs shook a little bit, his hands were behind him, probably fiddling. He also looked a little red.

"I… uh needed to ask Elwin something. How… l-long have you been here?"

Keefe was about to lie and say that he only just came in. But there was something about how nervous-  _ terrified _ Dex looked that made him tell the truth instead. 

"About a minute ago. Heard something about feelings, but only that last part. Girl troubles again?"

Telling the truth seemed to work well, as Dex stood a little taller, and looked up. "You could say that."

"Is it Linh? Someone I know?" He asked.

"Keefe. I'd uh… prefer not to tell! I can't!"

_ He can't, or he just doesn't want to? _

With that thought, he reached out and grabbed one of Dex's hands. The action only made him look more flustered. There was some strange emotion coming from him. Dex jerked his hand back as if he could feel it too.

"Sorry. It's just that the one I like doesn't like me back. I know that for a fact." 

_ Oh, it's heartbreak all over again. Maybe almost like what I went through with Foster. At least he'll deal with it earlier on what I had. _

"Sorry for prying," Keefe apologized. "Shouldn't have done that. It's fine if you don't tell me, but you can if you feel like it. And I do hope that whoever likes you realizes that you're a good person."

Dex looked at him with a smile. Keefe couldn't help but smile with him. Elwin coughed before asking for Keefe.

_ Oh right, my hand's bleeding and hurting. How could I forget that? _

But still, he barely felt the pain. Not when his thoughts were focused on whatever feeling was coming from Dex. It felt so familiar, but he couldn't quite identify it.

Once his hand was healed, he went back to the Shores Of Solace, and looked at some empathy books. He usually never read them, especially since most of them were written by his father. Maybe they would help? But as he skimmed through the pages, he couldn't find anything that perfectly matched what he had noticed. All he knew for now was that Dex was flustered, but there was more to it than that. But he was too tired to think of more.

•~•~•~•~•~•

Keefe woke up. It took him a few moments to remember that there was PE. Well, he would just ditch that too. But then he remembered that there was going to be a splotching match. He styled his hair- which was thankfully normal- and got ready.

He arrived at Foxfire, and both Fitz and Tam were looking normal too. He walked to PE with the two of them. 

The tournament began, but it was really slow, since neither him nor his friends were called for a long time. Finally, one of them was called, and it was Dex. Unfortunately, he was matched against Stina.

Her attitude had mellowed out a bit compared to how it was before, but she definitely couldn't be described as nice. 

"You won't even come close, let alone actually beat me," she sneered.

Dex only gave a grin. "Challenge accepted."

Once the colour was chosen, the match had begun. Many of the prodigies cheered for Stina, so Keefe cheered louder for Dex. Even though his friends also cheered for him, it was clear to anyone that it was Keefe who cheered the loudest. He didn't fail to notice Dex smile at that, his movements quicker, as if the encouragement actually fuelled him.

Dex almost got hit by a splotcher, but narrowly avoided it. Then, with a fake-out, he got Stina's arm. Keefe clapped, proud of him for winning. A few more rounds passed by, and then Keefe was called up. But so was Sophie.

"No fair!" He whined. "Obviously Foster's gonna win! I want a rematch against Fitz!"

This match was quieter and there was a lot less enthusiasm. Keefe couldn't blame anyone though, because Sophie would win, until matched up against Fitz, which was where the action happened. 

But there was still cheering, even for Keefe. He was surprised to hear that Dex was in that group though. Keefe glanced at him, and saw him clamp his mouth shut and look away. Sophie took that moment of distraction to hit him.

Keefe sat back down. This was weird. What was up with Dex, why did he look so nervous? First the healing centre, now this?

"I'm glad you did, but why did you cheer for me?" Keefe asked.

Dex looked down. "You cheered for me. And we already knew who would win so…"

"Nothing's wrong though. It's good that you're cheering for the Keefester."

The rounds continued. Tam and Fitz faced off, and to his dismay, Tam won. Ram was then matched against Biana, who didn't hold back and won. She went against Linh, and Linh won. She was then eliminated by some random elf. Then, there were two left. Sophie and Fitz.

This final match was tense. As cognates, they understood each other really well. So neither of them would make any hasty decisions. It was almost a complicated dance, and Keefe envied them.

_ Man, maybe if I was a telepath, things would be different. Wait. Stop. Stop sulking! _

When he looked back at the game, Sophie had tripped, and Fitz immediately struck. But she managed to roll out the way, and hit him when he was grabbing a new splotcher.

"Woo, Foster!" Keefe cheered. "You took down Wonderboy once again!"

Both Sophie and Fitz rolled their eyes in response.

Lunch came and they sat down. Keefe had raced for the end seat. They talked before eating. Biana was sitting next to Tam and rested her head on his shoulder, making his face flush pink. Keefe looked at Dex, and saw that he wasn't fazed at all.

_ This new elf. Whoever she is, you must really like her. _

He picked up his food and began to eat. Even though he'd done a pretty good job at not doing so recently, he snuck a few glances at Sophie. But she didn't notice, because she was staring into teal eyes with a soft expression on her face. 

_ I wish… I could be the one receiving that look. _

Fitz wrapped an arm around her, pulling her into a hug. A few moments after that, he gave her a light kiss. That action earned a few delighted squeals from Biana and Linh, and shocked gasps from a few other students.

Keefe just stared down at his food. It didn't look so appealing anymore.

"Just gonna use the washroom," he muttered.

He should have just teased them like he always did. But this was different. No being oblivious.

He passed by a washroom, choosing to go to one further away. He went inside, relieved to see that it was empty. He sat down against a wall, trying to take deep breaths.

"Come on Keefe," he told himself. "No need to get jealous. They're happy together, and that's what you'd want. Just get used to it."

He closed his eyes. But all he could see was that kiss. Not for the first time, he cursed himself for having a photographic memory. He imagined various objects, hoping to shove the memory away. But it just wouldn't work.

"Calm down. Calm down. You want her to be happy. Let her be happy."

"Hey Keefe?" Dex called.  _ Wait, when did he get here? _ "You alright?"

"What are you doing here?" Was his reply.

"You've been gone for a bit. I just wanted to make sure that you were okay." He came and sat next to him.

Keefe looked at him, and was shocked to realize just how tall Dex was. He knew that Dex was tall, but since when was Keefe  _ shorter _ than him? Dex's arm lifted slowly, and hesitantly wrapped around Keefe.

"You're not unloved. There's someone out there that likes you," he whispered, his voice barely audible.

Again, there were those feelings again. Then a huge wave of embarrassment came. Dex's face was redder than he'd ever managed to make Sophie blush. Why was he so flustered?

He normally would have taken the opportunity to do some teasing. But Dex looked afraid and delicate, Keefe knew he couldn't. Periwinkle blue eyes were fixated on the wall behind him. Keefe decided to let that go.

He was still confused though. It wasn't like he didn't know he had people crushing on him. The event from yesterday was an example. But he didn't care about those people, because they saw him as someone more. But really, he was just an elf. It was why he fell for Sophie. She saw him as ordinary, and it was relieving. She was the first he could tell his deepest darkest secrets to. 

But at this moment, there was more to him than his love for Sophie. She had made her decision, and he was going to accept it. Besides, he already had told her that.

_ I didn't apologize to Fitz though. _

With newfound determination, he stood up. He'd apologize that evening, let out the last of his feelings. Once they were out of the way, he would leave them behind. They would be left behind in the past, and he would find new ones in the future.

Keefe Sencen was going to make sure that he got over Sophie Foster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keefe and his obliviousness, am I right? You'd think that being an empath would make things easy, but nope!
> 
> Also, I really hope I don't forget to write in the scene that Keefe apologizes to Fitz. Because uh... I never actually wrote that in the original. And it needed to happen.
> 
> Next fic might be a Miraculous Oneshot maybe. Yeah, I'm in that Fandom too!


	9. Babysitting The Triplets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dex and Keefe hang out at Rimeshire and babysit the triplets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was so much fun! I'm sure that that this was one of my more favourite chapters to write in the past, and it's definitely super fun to rewrite!
> 
> Like, this chapter is just Dex pining and a whole ton of fluff and !!! (And despite being aro as hell, I now have a much greater concept of feelings)
> 
> Anyways I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I did!

What was Dex  _ thinking? _ He barely waited before going after Keefe. He had waited two minutes. Which was less time than one could need to use the washroom. But that look on Keefe's face, having to see his crush be affectionate with someone else was familiar to him. He knew that he'd need comfort. Dex also figured that Keefe wouldn't stop by the nearest washroom, so he could have more privacy. Which he was right about. After all, he had done the same before too.

If racing after him wasn't bad enough, he just  _ had  _ to go and mention that there was someone out there that loved Keefe. It was true, Keefe was pretty popular and attracted a lot of girls. It was the way that Keefe would have interpreted it.

But the words just came out of him without a second thought. He could feel his cheeks burning, and it was impossible to make eye contact after that. Also, his hand was literally resting on Keefe's shoulder, so he was bound to feel all those emotions coming from him.

He wanted to take back those words.not because they weren't true, but they might very well be. Keefe was kind, strong, determined, loyal and funny. He always came off as confident, but he knew that it wasn't so true.

Then he thought of his looks. He  _ was _ attractive, with his sharp jaw and slightly toned muscles. Ice blue eyes that twinkled in the light, unless he was upset. Freckles dusted his cheeks and only made him look more adorable. And his hair, soft to the touch.

He liked those things. He adored those things. But was he able to say that it was  _ love? _ Dex considered love to be such a strong word for this new feeling. It'd only been a few days since he'd been feeling this way. It was probably just infatuation. There was no way that he would fall in love that fast.

The real reason he wanted to take back his words though, was because his feelings were not reciprocated. Keefe was still in love with Sophie.

Dex kept quiet for the rest of lunch, doing his best to make sure he had proper control over his emotions. Nobody had noticed except Keefe, who was also quiet. He had a determined look to his face, his gaze set on Sophie and Fitz. As if he was going to get used to it. To force himself to get over her.

But even then, it didn't quite matter. Even if Keefe didn't like Sophie, it didn't mean that he would like Dex. That entire moment would not leave his mind, and he found it difficult to concentrate during his next class.

After Foxfire finally ended, he shut himself in his room. He grabbed a blueprint and a half-made gadget. Hopefully technopathy would distract him, flood his thoughts with all those projects he wanted to work on.

Later, his room door opened. His mother peeked her head through the doorway.

"Dex, are you doing okay?" She asked.

"I'm fine," he grumbled.

"If there's something going on, you can tell me. I'm your mother, I know how you behave. You've been like this both times you've realized that your crush didn't like you ba-"

"I said I'm  _ fine _ ," Dex repeated. He winced when he realized how angry he just sounded. "Sorry, I just… need a little space."

She pursed her lips, opening the door a little more. She looked almost guilty. 

"I won't make you tell me anything. But, your father and I are about to go out together, and we were hoping that you'd watch over the triplets."

"Seriously?" He groaned. At his mother's raised eyebrow, he added, "I'll do it."

"Thank you. We're heading out now, see you later tonight." Then she left the room.

In reality, it wasn't actually that bad. It would be better than being cooped up in his room. The triplets would definitely distract from his problem- even if it was by making a new one. He left his room to look for them, which wouldn't be hard. All he would have to do is follow the sounds of screaming and objects breaking.

Except that the house was strangely silent. That would only mean one thing: they were scheming.

Before Dex checked on them, he grabbed a large portion of ripplefluffs and cinnacreme and hid it in his room. The triplets ate a lot of food, and if he didn't take now, he wouldn't be left with anything.

He entered Bex's and Rex's rooms, but they weren't in there. He was shocked to find them laying on Lex's bed, peacefully doing homework. 

"Wow," Dex remarked. "This is a first."

They got up from the bed and hugged him. 

"You seem all sad, so we're giving you a short break," said Rex.

"That's sweet," he said.  **"** Thank you for caring."

Bex pulled away and scrunched her nose. "Don't be ridiculous. We like you, but you're not as fun to annoy when you get all depressed."

"If you're complaining though," Lex continued. "We might just pra-"

The other two elbowed him. "How about we be nice siblings so we can ask for favors later?"

Dex rolled his eyes. "Should have known there was an ulterior motive. But fine. There's cinnacreme in the kitch-"

They were already gone from the room.

"Take only one cup!" He yelled, but they probably wouldn't hear him. Or even if they did, they probably wouldn't listen.

Knowing that they'd be fine and occupied for the time being, he went back to his room. Just in time, as his imparter rang. His heart rate increased when he saw the name.  _ Keefe. _

"Hey, what's up?" Dex greeted, trying to sound casual.

_ That was awful. You have to hide and not sound too nervous. Or too casual. He's an empath! He might figure it out! _

"My dad's being annoying again. Was gonna ask Wonderboy if we can play base quest. You wanna come?"

"Sorry, gotta watch the triplets."

"We can hear you mention us!" All three of them yelled.

"Yeah, I'm telling him just how  _ annoying _ you are!" He screamed back.

When there was no reply from them, he grinned.

Keefe hummed. "Maybe I can spend another day before the apology," he murmured.

"What?"

"Well, I had said something mean about Fitz, and haven't apologized. I was gonna apologize today, but I don't think I'm quite ready yet."

"Okay."

"Also, can I come over? I don't think I can handle Wonderboy and Bangs Boy on my own."

"This sounds like some epic battle. The 'Master Prankster' vs the Wonderboy and Bangs Boy. Also I'm on your team now."

"Well obviously! We're the Ultimate Prankster Team!"

Dex smiled, "Yeah."

"That was cheesy and please stop!" Ro called out from the background.

Keefe rolled his eyes and ignored her. "Where do you live again?"

"Rimeshire."

As he waited for Keefe to arrive, Lovise spoke.

"Ro's right, that was very cheesy."

It took a moment for him to get accustomed to her voice. She didn't really speak often.

He hummed. "I guess. But it feels nice, y'know?"

"Being included?"

"Yeah."

"I understand."

He wanted to ask for more details, but there was a look on her face that made him not. Not quite solemn, just remembrance. He nodded in acknowledgement, and went to go let Keefe inside.

Keefe stepped in, his gaze darting everywhere. His hands twitched as if he itched to run his hand along the icy walls.

"You haven't been in here, have you?" Dex asked.

"The others have already been here? Why wasn't I invited?" He looked offended, but in a mocking way.

"Uh… oh," Dex remembered why. "You were with the Neverseen."

"Oh yeah," Keefe murmured, looking down at his feet. "I can't believe you live in an ice castle! That's way  _ cooler _ than my place!"

Dex groaned. "That was awful."

Keefe grinned. "I'm just the master! What can I say to that?"

"How about nothing?" Ro replied.

"Rude!"

"I'll be back in a moment," Dex said. "Lovise, can you show them where the kitchen is? You can all take whatever food is left over."

"Okay."

He went to his room so he could clear out some of his work. He folded the blueprints and packed away the gadgets in his locker. As he was putting away the last of them, he was interrupted. 

"Can I come in?" Keefe asked.

"Yeah, sure."

"Ro and Lovise are having a conversation nearby. Anyways, were the triplets always this nice? They greeted me and immediately brought me here."

"They're trying to be nice so I can owe them favours."

One of the blueprints fell from his hands, and opened up.

"A chair that moves however you want it to?" Keefe asked, his voice scarily close. "That's so cool!"

Dex practically jumped. Keefe was just now at a healthy distance, but suddenly they were standing by side.

"I guess," he said, taking a small step away. "But I haven't actually gotten it to work yet. And I haven't looked at it in a while."

Before he could stop it from happening, Keefe picked up another blueprint, eying it curiously. Then another. And another. He hummed approvingly each time, and Dex was left frozen.

"I wouldn't be surprised if you were like… in the top five technopaths ever," Keefe stated.

He looked down. "I wish."

"Am I making you uncomfortable?" The tone of his voice had changed drastically, causing Dex to look back up at him. "You stepped away from just earlier. Sorry if I am."

"I'm not really used to being praised for my inventions," he admitted.

Well, technically true. His inventions were only looked over if they had some major significance, otherwise his technopathy was generally ignored. So the sudden attention was different. But what changed things even more was the  _ who _ . He wasn't sure if he could handle the praising and the proximity that just seemed to lessen despite his efforts.

Maybe he could have asked Keefe to stay away. But as nerve-wracking as the closeness was, it wasn't bad. He kind of liked it. And also, Keefe was naturally affectionate, going up to someone and draping a shoulder or making other small physical acts. He didn't really want Keefe to necessarily stop.

"Who wouldn't be amazed by the stuff that you create?"

"I-"

"I mean, even if they don't amount to anything," Keefe continued. "I still think that the stuff that you create matters. After all, you're the one making them."

_ What does that mean!? _

"If you wanna ramble about technopathy, I'll listen. I get how it feels to have hobbies and stuff that don't really get attention, so you can come to me."

He was so  _ sincere! _ How did he not notice this earlier? He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, because holy  _ crap! _

"And uh…" Keefe's face shifted into one of embarrassment. "Where's the washroom? I gotta go now."

Oh. That was all?

Dex pointed to the door with the washroom. As Keefe left, he heard snickering.

"Come in Bex," he called out.

As he thought, she walked in, a smirk on her face. Her eyes gleamed dangerously.

"What are you plotting?"

"Nothing," she said with a casual shrug. Too casual. "Just curious about Keefe. Haven't seen you hang out with him before."

"Am I not allowed to hang out with my friend?" He asked.

"Yeah, obviously you can. But… never mind. He's pretty nice."

If he didn't know better, he would have assumed that she was genuinely making that compliment and was interested in getting to know him. But he  _ did _ know better. The tone of her voice sounded almost like it was implying something. 

Before he could ask what she meant, she was already making her way out of the room.

_ Did she notice? Was my crush obvious? Was this her way of supporting it? _

"Your brother's also pretty nice!" Keefe yelled.

Bex turned around and stuck out her tongue at Dex. "Not as cool as you though!"

He rolled his eyes. Once she was gone, he took out the ripplefluffs that he had hidden. Everything was quiet as the two boys ate their snacks in peace. 

A little bit later, there was a knock on the door. Probably Rex, he was the only one who would actually knock.

"What is it?" Dex asked.

He entered the room. "We're bored."

He raised an eyebrow. "What am I supposed to do?"

Keefe got up with extreme speed and dashed towards Rex. In one swift motion, Rex was lifted into the air. "We're going outside!"

"You sure?" Dex asked. He went up to Keefe and whispered so Rex wouldn't hear. "They can be a bit much to handle sometimes."

"I think they need to run around for a bit," Keefe whispered back. "Trust me, I know how it is. Uh… I don't have a jacket."

Dex grabbed his jacket and a spare, tossing it over to the blond. "You can borrow that."

They were then outside, searching for the spot with the best snow. Keefe threw a snowball at Lex. Rex and Bex laughed, while Lex threw one back. Keefe dodged it, sticking his tongue out teasingly. Dex smiled, before joining in. It quickly became a full on snowball fight, dozens of balls flying around with the help of telekinesis. 

In the end, the triplets surrendered, as they were cold and exhausted. Dex brought out the remainder of his hidden cinnacreme.

"I can't even remember the last time you took us outside," Bex whined. "This is why Keefe's cooler."

"I hope you realize that you three are  _ not _ easy to look after. And I'm very much aware that you've decided to be on good behaviour. Keefe, wait until they start being bad."

"Maybe we'll be good if you take us outside," Lex argued.

"I doubt that."

Keefe shrugged. "Maybe I should come here more often."

The triplets all beamed. They looked like little balls of sunshine at the moment. "Yay, more Keefe!"

He smirked. "Looks like even the Dizznees can't resist the Keefester."

_ Don't take it the wrong way, don'ttakeitthewrongway- _

Dex barely suppressed his groan as his face burned and his hands felt the urge to move around. It was a good thing that Keefe wasn't looking at him. But Bex was, a wicked smile on her face as she wiggled her eyebrows. He gaped at that, then glared. Fortunately, her face went neutral. 

_ Hope he didn't notice that. That would be awkward. _

"Bex, take a shower," he ordered. He needed her to leave so he could keep control of his emotions.

She crossed her arms. "I don't wanna."

"Go do it before your stinky brothers contaminate the shower. Go first!"

She giggled at that, then ran off.

The other two triplets glared at each other, and Dex already knew what they were going to say next.

"I'm not the stinky one! He's stinkier! I wanna go next!"

Dex watched in horror as Keefe took off his panic ring, but sighed in relief as he hid his hands behind his back. "One of you guess which hand has the ring. Whoever guesses it right goes next." He put his arms in front of him.

"Left!" Rex screeched.

"Fine, right," Lex sulked.

When he opened his hands, it was revealed that the ring was in the right hand. "You win Lex!"

Lex cheered while Rex pouted. 

"How the heck did that work?" Dex whispered.

"They're children," was all Keefe said.

"They're younger than me by like  _ two _ years."

He sighed. "Yeah, but they weren't forced to grow up like we were. They're still children, and you might be a bit strict on them. I'd know."

_ Oh. That makes some sense. _

"I probably should ask more about what they want. But I do think that over-indulging them isn't too good either. But maybe I should let them out a bit more."

"I guess having them over all the time does change things a lot," Keefe agreed. "So yeah, you should ask them."

"Dex, Bex, Lex and Rex!" Juline called out. "We're home!"

"Mom! Dad!" The two little brothers cheered. They ran over and tackled their parents. 

"Oh Keefe, welcome!" Kesler greeted, walking towards them. "Haven't seen you around in a while, what brings you here?"

Keefe's posture tensed a little bit, and Dex knew that he wouldn't want to talk about it. So he put a finger to his lips while making eye contact with his dad.

"Anyways," Kesler continued, catching on. "You're welcome here anytime you'd like!"

Keefe nodded, relaxing. "Thank you. Also would it be okay if I stayed the night?"

"That's no problem," Juline answered. "I'm sure Dex wouldn't mind."

"N-no, I wouldn't mind," Dex agreed. "My room has slightly soundproof walls, it'll be quieter there. I'll go get a sleeping bag for you."

He went and brought out the sleeping bag, and came back to see Rex and Lex talking to his parents.

"And we had a snowball fight!" Lex said, his hands waving around as he continued his story.

"It's fun having Keefe over! He should come around more often!"

Bex came and gave her parents a hug. Then she turned to Lex and Rex. "Which one of you is showering next?"

When Lex raised his hand, she turned to Rex. "Hah! You'll be the stinkiest of us!"

"I'll show you stinky!" Rex roared and proceeded to chase her.

Dex, Keefe, Kesler and Juline stood there smiling, watching the scene in front of them.

"I'm surprised they haven't broken anything yet," Kesler remarked. "We really should let you over more often."

"I'm cool with that!" Keefe replied. "Hey Dex, let's go back to your room now."

They went to his room and sat on the bed.

"Can I look at more of your inventions?" Keefe asked.

Dex shrugged. "Sure."

That's how they sat for a few minutes, Keefe complimenting every single one of them. When he couldn't handle all this attention anymore, he went and took a shower. Keefe took his too, and then they were back, the room a little darker.

"I'm tired," Dex said with a yawn. "Are you?"

"I guess. But I can't really sleep. Haven't really slept since you did that massage. That knocked me out quicker than I had in a long time. Would it be okay if you did it again?"

_ Crapcrapcrapcrap- Okay, get it together! This is super risky. He'll be able to feel my emotions, so get it together! I'm not gonna refuse because he really needs to sleep.  _

He laid down by the sleeping bag, so Keefe could rest his head on him. He locked away his feelings, so he wouldn't think about how soft his hair was to the touch. Instead he focused on breathing. If he did that, his emotions wouldn't get the best of him.

It was more difficult than it sounded though. Every once in a while, Keefe would make a small sound, similar to a cat being petted. It was absolutely adorable!  _ Wait, breathe. In. And out. _

He seemed to be doing a good job at keeping his emotions at bay, as Keefe didn't make any comments or ask any questions. Before he realized it, the blond boy was fast asleep, emitting a soft snore as he did so.

Dex got up slowly, careful to not wake him up. As he turned to leave though, there was a tug on his arm. It was like those human romance movies, where one person would hold on to the other. The person awake would be the one pining madly, and that very gesture would do a lot. It took all of his willpower to not give in and curl next to him.

But he wouldn't. He couldn't do that. He wrenched his gaze away from the warm hand on his, then slowly peeled the fingers off of him. The fingers were warm and soft and-

_ Not the time! _

Once he reached his own bed, he let out a sigh. That barrier that he'd built up shattered from all the emotions pounding against it relentlessly. It was all so exhausting, and soon he was asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Adhd Keefe! Adhd Keefe! Idk if you could tell but I'm projecting. Also, idk if I ever mentioned it here, but I considered making Keefe aspec, but now its official. I'm just projecting so hard oop 
> 
> My hcs for Keefe and Dex's sexualities 
> 
> Dex: Bi  
> Keefe: Pan aspec (maybe demi? Either way I'm not dealing with sexual attraction in here because heck no I'm too ace for that)
> 
> Ftr, you are gonna get some more of my hcs for the others characters. Not just Keefe and Dex who are queer (gotta support those bi m/f relationships!)


	10. Beautiful Thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keefe thinks about all these emotions that have been thrown at him. He also makes the next step to getting over Sophie.
> 
> Dex's mom asks for him to have a conversation with her, and he feels better about himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my stars, I can't believe that this is already past 18k words. I feel like my original draft was at chapter 20 and was at 25k words, so comparing the word count is just kinda... surreal? Like I've always admired those long fics, but it's occurring to me that I'M writing one of those long ish fics? Anyways I'm just catching feels don't mind me.
> 
> (I know I keep being nostalgic in these, but like... 2 and a half years is how long I've been at this. How could I not?)
> 
> Also, this chapter is a bit different. By that, I mean the POV changes within the chapter. Just letting ya know, because ik some people don't really like that type of thing.
> 
> Anyways, enjoy!

Keefe was just so _confused_. Dex had been blushing extremely often, and his emotions were going haywire. Especially when Dex was giving him the massage. There was no doubt that he'd been actively trying to keep calm, but why would he need to do that? What was there to hide? 

But at least the massage was great. He fell asleep with ease. But instead of being haunted by those golden-flecked brown eyes, instead he dreamed of periwinkle blue, and the light, feathery feeling that came from the massage. 

At some point- but he had no clue when- there was a surge of emotion. It was string and intense, but still not enough to fully wake him up. But as quickly as it came, it was gone.

But the most confusing part of all this was that he woke up next to Dex. Not only that, but they were hugging. He nearly leapt up in shock, but he didn't want to wake up the sleeping boy.

So Keefe laid there, trying not to notice how warm Dex was compared to him. Dex began to stir, and hugged him even tighter. Shivering, he snuggled closer, trying to feel as warm as possible. 

The door opened, and there was a gasp, but he couldn't tell if it was from himself or who was at the door. This time, he actually leapt up out of bed, his arms held up.

"It's not what it looks like!" He blurted out.

"What's not what it lo- What am I doing down here!?" Dex asked, rubbing his eyes.

"We weren't doing anything! Just hugging!"

_You're not really making things better for yourself!_

Dex sat up. " _What_!? But I went to my bed-" he cut himself off, then glared at Bex, who was hiding behind Juline."

"We just wanted to check up on you both," Juline explained. She stared at Dex, the expression on her face one that he didn't understand. But Dex seemed to know, as he slumped. "Shouldn't you two get ready for Foxfire?"

"Oh crap!" The both of them said simultaneously, scrambling for everything that they needed.

Keefe leapt back to his home, and was greeted with a glare.

"Where were you?" Lord Cassius asked. "Why weren't you home last night?"

"I was with the Vackers!" Keefe replied, knowing that if he told the truth, his father would be even more upset at Dex. 

He ignored the raised eyebrow that Ro sent him. It was just enough of an expression that most of the others wouldn't notice, but Keefe would.

"He's not wrong, I was with-"

Cassius cut her off. "I wasn't talking to you!"

She huffed, but otherwise didn't retort, clearly deciding to not waste her effort.

"And you," he looked back at Keefe. "Get ready for Foxfire!"

Keefe went to his room, cursing under his breath. He took a shower and got ready. As he was about to leave though, Ro stopped him.

"So do tell me about what's been going on between the two of you. I mean, you went to his house, slept over, cuddled with him."

"Really?" Keefe asked. "Even I can tell that Bex was the one who caused the cuddle thing. Dex said that he'd gone back to bed. Besides, am I not allowed at a friend's house?"

He really did enjoy the previous day, actually. He should probably go more often.

Ro hummed, her nose scrunched in disbelief. "And you lied?"

"Did you really think I'd let my father get mad at Dex?"

She shrugged. She kept quiet, and the conversation was dropped. They went to Foxfire, and Keefe ditched his class again. He just didn't have the patience to deal with it.

Lunch came by, and this time, none of his friends were surprised to see him. Even though this was the third day in a row that he _hadn't_ ended up in detention. He sat down at the end seat, with Dex in front of him. When Tam sat down next to him- uh, since when did Bangs Boy sit next to him?- he felt like moving away, but he refused to give up the end seat.

He looked from his lunch and saw that Sophie and Fitz were kissing again. Nausea pooled in his stomach, but this time he could easily force it down. There was no need for him to get up and be alone. He could deal with this. He _would_ deal with this.

His gaze ended up wandering to all of his friends, looking to see what each one of them were doing. When he reached Dex, his gaze lingered. He noticed that Dex had been looking down often, but when he looked up for once and met his gaze, he immediately looked away, his cheeks pink. Keefe's staring made him blush?

_What is up with him?_

Keefe raised his arms up and stretched, accidentally hitting Tam in the process. He was fully prepared for him to turn and glare, then complain, but instead, he kept quiet. That was strange. He also didn't feel annoyed based on that brief moment of contact. It seemed like he was contemplating something, maybe even plotting. If that was the case, he needed to be careful.

"Wanna come over to Everglen?" Biana asked. "Doesn't have to be a sleepover if you don't want to."

"We could play some Truth Or Dare Again," Tam added.

Biana turned to him with a grin. "I'm glad you're seeing how fun it is!"

"Uh… sure."

"I'll come!" Keefe said.

"Me too," Sophie chimed in.

"I'll be there," Dex told them. "But I'll be there a bit later. My mom needs me."

"That's fine, we can wait," said Linh.

After that, Keefe ended up zoning out. It was only partially intentional, because he needed to figure out what was going on. For Tam to suggest the game meant that something was up. Then again, Keefe didn't really have much to lose at this point, only his pride. 

Lunch ended and Keefe just couldn't wait for Foxfire to end. But there was still another class. This time, he actually did attend it. It was alchemy, one of the subjects he didn't mind as much, because it was less listening and more doing things. It just felt good to be able to do things with his hands and not just sit there for hours on end.

When class ended, he went to Everglen. Sophie was sitting by Biana, the both of them talking enthusiastically, while Fitz sat not too far from the both of them, but it was obvious that he wasn't part of the conversation.

_I've got a better idea of what I should say. This is the perfect time to talk to him._

Keefe walked up to him. "Hey Fitzy, can I talk to you?"

He watched Fitz take a breath, as if he was mentally preparing himself. Well, he couldn't really be blamed too much. While they were still great friends, they weren't on the best of terms, and Fitz had a tendency to let his anger loose, even if he didn't mean to.

"Nothing bad," Keefe promised, and took his arm. "Just a few minutes."

He nodded, and stood up. "Okay."

They walked into one of the numerous rooms, and sat down on the bed.

"What was it?" Fitz asked.

"Just wanted to apologize to you."

There, the first words were out.

Fitz blinked at him, so Keefe took that as a chance to continue.

"About well, Foster. Shouldn't have yelled at you just because you confessed first. I said some rude stuff to her, but about you too. I should _know_ that you aren't the type of person to break someone's heart out of malice. I know you're a better person than that, so I don't know why I said it.

"And about that game. I mean… I don't know why I chose to do that. It was rude and all. I just wanted to apologize for that too. And I'm working on it. Getting over her. Because really, if the both of you are happy with each other, that's enough for me. And I know you can have concerns, so I just wanted to promise you that I won't try and get between the two of you. I _promise._ "

Fitz looked at him, his face frozen until he seemed to have taken it all in. Then he smiled.

"I was mad at you for all that," he admitted. "I mean, I guess I was still a little annoyed. But I'm not mad, and I'm glad you apologized. I mean, I wasn't at my best behaviour either. You went through heartbreak and I could have comforted you or something. But well, it's all in the past now. We just have to be better, right?"

"Right," Keefe agreed. "I do miss us acting like we used to."

"Yeah, I do too. Anyways, let's go back to the others."

They went back and sat with the others, and waited for Dex to arrive. Keefe couldn't help but notice that things felt different without him here, almost… emptier? He wasn't sure why he thought that way though. After all, this wouldbt be the first time that Dex wasn't with them. But what made it so different now?

 _Well, you have been hanging out with him and paying attention to him nowadays_ . _Obviously it's going to feel different if your friend isn't with you._

•~•~•~•~•~•

Earlier that morning, Juline had asked for Dex to see her after school. While he didn't _quite_ know why, he had his suspicions. The look she gave him was enough for him to know. Besides, if Bex managed to figure it out, so would she.

Dex loved his mom, he really did. And it wasn't often that he was actually _scared_ of her. But for the first time in his life, he was terrified. What was she going to say? Would she be supportive like Bex seemed to be? Or was she going to lecture him about how liking a boy was wrong? After all, he'd never heard of any elves liking the same gender.

 _Have more faith in her!_ His mind screamed. _She would know how it feels to be discriminated against. She would know to not alienate me._

While that made everything a little better, it wasn't enough to get rid of those anxious thoughts. His hands were clammy as he opened the door to his home, and walked in. His mother was sitting on a couch, and patted the seat beside her, smiling.

_Okay, she doesn't look mad. And it's not those fake smiles either._

That knowledge helped a lot, and he managed to walk a little faster and sat down. "What is it?"

"There's a movie your father and I found. I want you to watch it with me."

Dex looked around, but nobody else was around. "Where are the others?"

"I think you'd be more comfortable without your siblings for now. Your father was supposed to be here, but was called in at the last minute for some orders. We figured that it's best to do this as soon as possible, so he won't be here either."

"But what's so important about this movie that we have to watch it now?"

The Dizznee family had movie nights occasionally. But they weren't often, and his father would always be there. The triplets would sometimes join them, depending on the movie.

But his question remained unanswered as Juline started the movie.

Like with every movie, Dex was absolutely mesmerized. It was impressive to see all these videos and drawings made by the humans. He picked close attention, because even though there were subtitles in the Enlightened Language, he didn't want to miss a thing.

The movie that was chosen this time was different. The movies that they had watched recently had more action and fantasy elements to them, but this was just a romance.

He had no idea why his mom would put on a romance movie, until he saw the two main characters. Not a man and a woman, but instead, there was a romance between two men. They were in love with each other, but not everyone approved of their relationship. But in the end, they lived together happily.

He'd been silent for the entire movie, and after it ended, he turned to his mom. "Why'd you show me this? A lot of the humans weren't supportive."

"Don't you see," Juline said. "Not everyone approved of them, but most did. And they still got together in the end. Even their friends supported them in the end. So I think that your friends will support you if you ever come out to them.

"As for why? It's simple, I can see how you feel. You're scared of how much you like Keefe, you're scared of being rejected for being who you are. I mean, I wasn't always so eager to marry your dad and take on the Dizznee name. I was scared too, but I knew that in the end, it was _my_ feelings that mattered. I love Kesler, simple. And I want you to know that if you like Keefe, both your father and I support you for it."

"How obvious was I?" He couldn't help but ask.

She laughed. "I'm your mother. It's my duty to notice these things. So to me, it's obvious."

He leaned in and hugged her, smiling when she returned the embrace. "Thank you, that means a lot. It helps a lot."

And he meant it. He'd come to terms with his feelings, but it hadn't meant that he embraced it. Because he was scared, but this wasn't something wrong and in his control. It was just how he was.

And maybe, just maybe, Keefe finding out about his crush wouldn't be too bad. He was going to tell Keefe. Keefe was just so amazing and loyal and even beautiful. Dex just hoped that he would be considered good enough.

But that was a plan for the future. Keefe was still hung up over Sophie, he needed the time to sort through his feelings. But once that waiting time was over, Dex was going to confess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay first off, don't ask what movie Dex watched because even I have no recollection as to what movie was watched.
> 
> Second... oop... another Truth Or Dare. I honestly forgot that I had a second one here, but I think overall I like the second one more. Especially because this one is very important... anyways, you'll see what happens next week!


	11. Extremely Awkward Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They play Truth Or Dare, but the game doesn't play out as any of them would have expected. ...awkward

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh, here we go! New chapter out!
> 
> This one was a bit harder to edit and shorter, because its more dialogue heavy (which I mean, has generally been my writing style, but yeah).
> 
> Anyways, enjoy!

When Dex finally arrived at Everglen, the game started. Biana went first, as she would often insist on doing.

"Keefe, Truth or Dare?"

"What's the dare?" He asked.

She smiled, and Keefe realized what she was going to say.

"Let me style your hair!"

He groaned but had complied. Biana had mixed in a few elixirs in his hair. He watched as his hair stuck out a little less, looking neater, but less fluffy.

"Hey Bangs Boy," he called. "Truth or Dare?"

He sighed. "Must you always pick me in the first round? Fine. Dare, because your truths are dangerous."

"I dare you to go take a piece of the fungus growing at Foxfire and eat it in front of us."

"Ew," Tam said, his face contorting in disgust. "Is that stuff even edible?"

"Yep." Came the reply from most of the elves in the room, for they had already tried it. 

"I know we ate some… questionable foods," Linh began. "But glowing mushrooms don't sound too safe."

Tam shrugged. "If they all ate it, it can't be the worst thing I've eaten."

He left the room and returned a few minutes later, the mushroom in hand. He stared at it, then stuffed it in his mouth, and swallowed quickly. His eyes widened.

"That was nowhere near as bad as it looked like," he admitted. "Wouldn't want to eat it again, but better than expected."

He then looked at Dex, an almost guilty expression on his face. But then it was quickly covered up by his normal look.

_ This can't be good. Especially if Bangs Boy actually looks sorry about it. _

"Dex, Truth or Dare?"

Dex looked like he was torn between the two choices.

_ Oh yeah, he has a lot more to lose than I do. He had that crush on Biana, and now that crush on the mystery girl. _

"...dare."

"I dare you to kiss a guy of your choice."

With those words, Dex visibly paled, his periwinkle eyes wide. His entire body was frozen. It took a few seconds until he blinked, and the look in his eyes seemed to have improved.

"Can I not..." his hand jerked up. "Can I p-pass on that?" His voice was nearly a squeak, and his hand had come back down to his side again.

"Nope!" Biana answered. "We didn't establish it this time. Dare's a dare!"

_ He looks terrified though. I don't think I'd be so afraid, but he's clearly uncomfortable with this. _

He opened his mouth to bring that up, but then Dex stood up. He slowly walked over to Keefe.

_ Wait what? He's… gonna kiss  _ me!? _ But I guess I'm his only option, as the other two are in relationships. _

The realization made him nervous too, but it wasn't going to be that bad. It was just a kiss.

Dex kneeled down in front of him, and leaned in. He could a hand on the back of his neck, a pathway for all the dread to spread to him. With a small tug, their lips met. It was just a peck, but he was still overwhelmed with emotions- and this time it wasn't anxiety. There was a wave of contentment, and he could see it on the boy's face, a mild flush and a slight smile.

_ Wait- _

Dex must have sensed his oncoming revelation, because he turned away and went back to his spot with impressive speed. Keefe looked at Dex, hoping for some kind of answer, but Dex refused to meet his gaze.

_ Does Dex… like me? There's no way! That's… impossible… _

He mulled Dex's behaviour in the past few days. Dex had gone to Elwin, and mentioned crush problems. Had he thought that there was something wrong with him? Why else would he have gone to Elwin about a crush?

_ "Keefe. I'd uh… prefer not to tell! I can't!" _

No wonder why Dex had been blushing like crazy. Or the way he would look almost lost. Or the way that Dex had never directly said that it was a girl problem. It was because his crush wasn't on a girl, but a boy.

Dex liked him. Dex  _ liked  _ him.

_ But why would he have a crush on me? What does he see in me? He deserves better than me. _

_ "It's just that the one I like doesn't like me back. I know that for a fact." _

And he respected the fact that Keefe had been in love with Sophie. How did he manage to get such a nice person to fall for him?

His face reddened at that thought. But… dating Dex. Dating Dex didn't sound that bad.

Keefe didn't realize that he'd still been staring at Dex until he started looking at the others. Most of them looked shocked, sensing that there was something more to the kiss than just being a kiss, but not knowing what. Sophie rested her chin on her hand, as if she was thinking something over. Tam had a similar expression, but his intentions seemed to be different.

_ Wait- this is Bangs Boy's dare! But why would he choose that of all things? Was it because he shipped us, or just to embarrass Dex? Probably the latter. _

If someone had spoken to him after that, he had no memory of it happening. His mind just stopped working. All he could do was look at Dex, and guess how he was feeling. Whatever it was, it didn't look too good.

His suspicions were confirmed when Dex had asked to leave the room. Keefe wanted to go after him, but knew that in this situation, that would be an awful idea. Him going would imply a lot of things, and give Dex the wrong idea. He didn't need that kind of thing, what he needed was time to process.

A few minutes later, he was back, and a lot more calm. 

"You okay?" Linh asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine now," Dex replied.

"That's good," Biana said. "I think that's enough Truth or Dare for one day." 

_ At least she acknowledges that. _

"We can play Base Quest instead?" Fitz offered. "I call Sophie."

"I call joining them!" Biana said.

"How dare you not be on my team," Tam complained.

"You have Linh. And it's a four vs three match-up."

The team of three left, as the twins, Keefe and Dex went to find a good base.

"Foster and Wonderboy can read our minds," Keefe pointed out. "Ideas?"

"You're the empath, you can probably find Sophie using that," Tam suggested.

"But there's still Biana, and she's really good at questing," Linh added.

Neither of them had better ideas. Tam would use his shadows and hope for the best, and Keefe would specifically look for Sophie. But it wasn't really a developed plan, and unsurprisingly, there was a shout from Biana saying that she touched the base. Keefe ran back.

"Someone tell me why both telepaths are on the same team," Dex demanded. "That's an instant win."

"Bu-" Fitz tried to object, but was interrupted by Biana.

"Either the both of you go on opposite teams, or it's all of us against the two of you."

"I'll switch teams," Sophie conceded. 

"That's a better idea," Keefe said. "Don't want the two of them to…" he puckered his lips, earning glares from both Sophie and Fitz.

"We're not that obnoxious about it!" They exclaimed.

"Look at them, saying the same thing at the same time," Linh cooed.

Sophie gasped. "You're just like Biana!"

"Hey!"

At the same time, they heard Tam mutter, "Tell me about it."

With that, they all laughed. None of them knew why they were laughing so loudly, or for so long, but it took a minute for them to recover.

"I call Foster!" Keefe said immediately. 

Sophie crossed her arms. "Tired of everyone picking dibs on me. How about we do team captains?"

There was silence as the others stared at her in confusion.

She huffed. "Really? Okay, so Fitz and I are the team captains. And then we each take turns picking who we want on our teams. You wanna pick first Fitz?"

"Nah," he replied sweetly. "You do it."

"Okay… Biana!"

"I choose… Tam!"

"Dex!"

"Linh!"

Keefe pouted. "Really? I'm the last choice?"

"Well, we didn't want you," Fitz joked.

"Whatever, it's Foster's turn, so I'm on her team!" He pumped his fist in the air.

Sophie rolled her eyes. "We'll quest first."

They waited a few minutes for the other team to go find a base. Then Sophie ran off, Biana close behind. Keefe and Dex chased after them.

"Their base is a tree. Near some fountain and fyie flowers." She snorted. "As if Everglen has only one fountain."

Well, that was a place that he was familiar with.

"I know where it is!" Keefe said.

Biana froze. "I live here, why do  _ you  _ know but I don't?"

"I know where it is too," Dex chimed in.

"What!?"

"Your property is huge though," Sophie said, before Biana could erupt into another outburst. "Tam's somewhere nearby, out left. Linh's not too far from the base, and Fitz is in the tree leaves."

"Oh, the base is over there." Keefe pointed to his right.

Sophie and Biana ran there, leaving Keefe and Dex in their dust. The two boys just walked slowly, both of them knowing that the other two would easily touch the base. 

"Hey," Keefe called out. "You alright?"

Dex stilled, then continued walking. "Yeah… I'm fine."

Keefe didn't need to be an empath to know that he was lying. But he kept quiet this time. Dex needed the time and space to mentally process everything. 

"If you need to tell me anything, don't be afraid." Keefe contemplated adding a wink, before realizing that it might be insensitive. "Now, I don't know about you, but I wanna win this game."

Keefe began to sprint, unsure if Dex would follow. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The "we didn't want you" line was a reference to a gaming series I watched a lot in the past (should catch up), and it's very humorous fyi. Idk why I'm explaining, esp since its clear that its a joke line, but yeah.
> 
> Yknow when I said fastburn romance, I meant it, right? I live slowburns, but a) idk how to write them, and b) I would not be able to put myself through that. I want them to be together dammit!
> 
> Just for the record, this fic is NOWHERE near complete. There's a lot that happens, and the getting together will only be a portion of it.


	12. Realization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After that kiss, Keefe's left confused. But he knows that he'll have to make a decision about what to do. He just hopes that he made the right decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to chapter 12 of TPT! Last chapter might have caused some pain, but, you'll see how this chapter goes.
> 
> Oh, ftr, this is another dual chapter. But it's primarily Keefe.
> 
> Anyways, enjoy!

Without a doubt, that game of Truth Or Dare was an absolute disaster. But it wasn't completely irredeemable. In fact, it gave Dex some much needed clarity. He knew that he liked Keefe, but he realized just how  _ much _ he liked Keefe. Still not love, but the feeling was still strong. If anything, it was stronger than anything he had felt before.

Even stronger than his feelings for Biana had been. And the kiss itself? It felt right. Dex knew he didn't have much to compare it to, just one sloppy kiss he had shared with Sophie that one time, but it didn't feel as awkward as that. It was almost as if… as if it were meant to be.

The game also showed him that he should probably out himself more out there. If he wanted to win Keefe's heart, he would have to show that he cared. 

But it wasn't as easy as it sounded like. He was afraid. What if he was rejected? The look on Keefe's face didn't really do much to sooth his fears either, they actually made things worse. And unless he was imagining things, there was a hint of sadness in those ice blue eyes.

He was relieved when Keefe didn't run after him, but it also hurt a little too.

_ Did he not notice how terrified I am? Not that it wouldn't be surprising, the others didn't really notice either. Ugh, snap out of it! He was probably trying to give you some space! _

When Keefe asked if he was okay, he froze. Partially with terror, because he could tell and notice what was going on, but it did deny his negative thoughts. He was concerned, which was good. But this wasn't something he could really talk about, especially not where they were standing.

Base Quest gave him a distraction, though it didn't last long due to how uneventful the games were. Whoever was on 'Team Sophie' won.

So there he was now, laying in bed, staring up at the ceiling. What was he supposed to do? Flirt, and hope he could charm Keefe? Dex held back a snort. He was way too awkward to flirt. Besides, he wasn't really into the idea of making pickup lines and having to speak confidently.

Giving a gift sounded easier for him. But what? Keefe didn't really want many physical things, and he needed something that interested him. Probably something to do with pranking. After all, he did those quite often.

It took him hours before he could fall asleep, but when he woke up, he wasn't well rested. He'd ended up waking early, but not early enough that he could just go back to sleep. Well, he might as well get ready.

He hadn't actually intended on spending the night at Everglen, it just happened. So he had to leap home and get everything ready. He forced himself to eat some breakfast, as being hungry and tired was not a good combination.

As he took a shower, he got an idea. He'd already planned on getting something related to pranking, but getting just an elixir wouldn't be much. Besides, Keefe still had a lot to learn when it came to alchemy.

Dex leapt to Foxfire, and looked for Keefe's locker. Luckily for him, he already knew where it was, so it didn't take long for him to find. With the help of technopathy, he opened the locker to put the gift inside.

•~•~•~•~•~•

Keefe woke up and noticed that everyone else was still asleep, except Dex, who wasn't even in his sleeping bag. Where did he go?

_ Actually, he's probably fine. After all… his feelings were revealed. He probably went out for a walk. _

He sat up and rubbed his eyes, hoping to get rid of all the sleepiness. That wasn't really a good rest, the two times when Dex had massaged him were way better.

_ Wait- _

He had an epiphany. He'd been fixated on the fact that Dex had a crush on him, but how did  _ he  _ feel? Did  _ he  _ like Dex? Well, he had admitted that dating Dex didn't sound that bad, but was it really something he wanted? That was a question he couldn't answer. So for now, he kept the question alone.

He got himself ready for Foxfire, and took a shorter amount of time due to Fitz's nagging. Dex wasn't at the breakfast table, which was weird. Most of the time, they all ate breakfast together. Was Dex doing alright?

As if sensing his worry, Sophie laid a hand on his shoulder. "I already checked in on him, he went home to get ready, and do some… thing. Don't know what though."

He nodded, and sighed in relief.

They went to Foxfire afterwards, and Keefe planned on ditching. Then he remembered that there was P.E., one of the few courses he was able to stand. He ended up changing his mind, and opened his locker to grab some stuff. 

Inside, there was an unfamiliar textbook? How did that get there? He picked it up and saw that a note was attached to it. The writing looked familiar.

_ If you plan on ditching, might as well be productive. Hope this makes you like reading a little more. _

_ -D.D _

Keefe grinned, clutching the  _ Elixir Guide 101 _ close to him. Forget P.E., he was definitely ditching! And the note answered his questions. It was Dex. He had to have put it in during the morning.

_ "He went home to get ready, and do some… thing. Don't know what though." _ Sophie had said.

_ Dex woke up early and put this in my locker… he did this for me. _

He left his locker and found a suitable ditching spot. He flipped through the pages.  _ Growing and shrinking potions, balding potions, voice altering potions.. ooh, I like that last one! _ Keefe may be the master prankster, but there were still so many combinations.

He was so engrossed in memorizing the concoctions, that he didn't hear the chimes that signaled lunch. It was the voices and footsteps that made him aware. He went to his locker and put the book away, slamming the door shut. He turned around, only to see Magnate Leto.

"Mr Sencen, what have you been doing?"

"Studying alchemy," he said, keeping his voice calm. Technically, it wasn't a lie. "I have it after lunch." And that was the truth.

"You kids and ditching class," Magnate Leto muttered, before sighing. "I can't do anything about it now, but don't let it happen again."

"Yes!" Keefe replied, knowing full well that he was going to ditch again. 

He ran off in search of his friends, and found Sophie and Fitz, holding hands. He waited for the ache that would come, and the thoughts of wanting to be Fitz, but they weren't there. He didn't need to be Fitz, he didn't have to be. He was content.

They all met at the cafeteria, got their lunches, and sat at their usual table. Some small talk was made, before Biana shush them.

"So, I have a question," she began. "Tam and I are dating. So are Sophie and Fitz? What about you three?" She looked at Keefe, Dex and Linh.

Keefe noticed how she purposely skipped over Marella. He remembered that Biana practically interrogated her about her crush, but Marella had stated that she didn't have any interest in dating at the moment. Sometimes, Biana remembered, but she would often get distracted by her excitement, and forget. To have her remember this time was nice.

_ Wait, she asked Dex too? Did she really not notice? Then again… most elves don't get crushes on the same gender. _

"Why would you like to know?" Keefe asked.

"Because."

"Well, doesn't matter. Not like I have one."

"Me neither!" Dex replied, subtly glancing at Keefe.

He averted his eyes from that small bit of attention. How was he supposed to deal with this?

Biana huffed, looking skeptical. But instead of pushing, she left the matter alone.

"Hey, did you hear?" Someone elf from the table next to them spoke. "Lucilla got asked out by Kenneth Kiernan!"

_ I know that name… Kenneth… _

A gasp distracted him, and Keefe turned to see Linh with a hand to her mouth, eyes watering. "Kenneth did  _ what? _ "

_ Oh. Kenneth was the name of her crush, wasn't it? _

"Who's Lucilla?" Dex asked.

"I think she's a Level 6," Biana answered.

Just as she said that, two people walked into the cafeteria. One of them had long blond hair- Kenneth- and the other was a tan skinned brunette with a white uniform. Biana was right about that one. Linh looked at them, then looked down, fiddling with the ends of her hair.

Biana wrapped an arm around her. "You'll find the one for you. It could Keefe, Dex, o-"

"I'm gonna use the washroom," Dex murmured, before he left. 

At the same time, Linh replied with, "Um…"

"-sorry, should not have said that. What I  _ do  _ mean is that you still have all your life, and there'll be someone for you. It could be someone you know, or someone you don't. But that elf exists," Biana continued.

Linh looked up, then hugged Biana. "Thank you, I needed that."

"I'll go dump the trays," Keefe offered, looking for a way to go follow Dex.

This time, the look on Dex's face was different. He looked like he needed comfort. He took the trays and dumped them, then went running off to find him. He knew Dex pretty well, enough to know that he wouldn't go to the nearest washroom where there would be a crowd. So he skipped that washroom and went to the next, and opened the door.

He was right. Dex was sitting there, but at least he wasn't crying. He was taking in deep breaths, trying to compose himself.

"Dex?" He called softly, moving closer.

"What?" He snapped, turning towards Keefe.

"I get why you're upset. Biana shouldn't say things like that. Biana shouldn't be setting up anyone who just went through heartbreak."

"And?" Those periwinkle eyes looked a little darker, colder.

"And she definitely shouldn't be setting you up with anyone. Not… not with that crush you have…"

His face softened. "Do you… really know?"

Keefe nodded. "Yeah." It came out more breathlessly than he had intended it to.

"I guess it wouldn't be a secret. Okay," he took a deep breath. "Keefe, I like you… I  _ really  _ like you."

He knew that already, knew it since the day before. But still, the words hit hard, and there was a sensation in his gut. He mentally rehearsed the words he had planned to say, knowing that he needed to be really delicate about this.

"I don't like you the same way," he admitted.

Dex sucked in a breath and looked down, muttering curse words under his breath. It sounded almost like 'damn it, I knew he didn't like me, why did I get my hopes up?'. The look on his face made the feeling in his gut change, from mildly pleasant to uncomfortable. Seeing Dex look like that… it's hurt more than he could have imagined. 

The next words came tumbling out of his mouth before he could think about them.

"But… I think I'm willing to try." Dexhands were in his own, and they were warm. That feeling felt a little better.

His eyes brightened. "You're… really?"

"Yeah," he breathed, reaching to cup Dex cheeks. "Why don't we start this off properly?"

Keefe leaned in, close enough to send the message, but for enough that Dex could back away if he wanted to. But when he didn't, Keefe closed the gap between them, and kissed him. His arms wound around Dex's neck, and he felt arms wrap around his waist. 

It was soft and sweet, and it was comfortable. It left him more comfortable than he had been in a while. He pulled away shortly after. He could feel himself smile, and Dex's expression mirrored his own. Bright and flushed.

"So…" he began, smirking. "How was that?"

"It was great!" Dex blurted, and then he covered his face with his hands. The tips of his ears were turning red. After a few seconds, it started to fade. "So… does this mean we're boyfriends? And do we tell the others?"

"We are. Also… we'll tell the others later. I feel like if we tell anyone, my dad's gonna find out, and he already doesn't like you."

"But I didn't do anything? Or is it because I'm a Dizznee."

"Yeah, that. So I can't imagine how he'd feel if he learned that we were dating."

"I see." It was clear that Dex understood, but he still looked a little disappointed. 

"I know you don't wanna hide it, but it'll be fine."

As an apology, Keefe leaned in and planted a small peck on his lips. It left the boy smiling.

"You wanna come over to my place after Foxfire?" Dex asked. 

"Yeah, sure. We should probably head back."

"Probably."

Together, they walked out of the washroom, and went back. At that moment, Keefe was glad that he had made that decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact of the day: like 2 years ago, I made a kotlc au with some ocs, and Kenneth is actually one of them (changed the last name, but close enough). In this story, him and Linh were actually gonna end up together, so having him be Linh's crush felt kinda fitting, even if they don't end up together.
> 
> (The story ended up being scrapped, as I wrote in some plot points I ended up not liking, and the story's just a mess in general).


	13. Chaos... Just Chaos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dex and Keefe have their first hangout as boyfriends at Rimeshire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh, it is time for the relationship fluff! Don't have too much to say for this chapter, other than the fact that I love the Dizznee family.
> 
> Also, there's a caps warning. I've gotten rid of the caps for the other lines in the past, but I feel like in this case lowercase loses the effect. So caps warning.
> 
> Anyways, enjoy!

"Where did you go?" Fitz asked when they arrived.

"Washroom," Keefe replied with a shrug.

"You should've told us you were gonna go there, instead of taking a long time to just 'dump the trays'."

"C'mon Wonderboy, am I not allowed to use the washroom?"

"That's not what I meant and you know it."

Tam rolled his eyes at their conversation, his eyebrows raised. Keefe turned to him.

"Really, why do you look so skeptical, Bangs Boy?"

"No, it's not that. It's uh…" his gaze flicked to Keefe, then Dex, then back at Keefe.

Dex was able to notice it, and he was wondering what was going on. What was Tam thinking? He'd constantly been suspicious, as to what was going on. He was the one who first asked about them back when they had that first Truth Or Dare session. And that was  _ before  _ he realized his feelings. Also, Tam was one who had dared him to kiss a boy.

Just what exactly did Tam know? Dex felt like asking, but he wouldn't do that yet. He had other things to worry about.

"Wanna play Tackle Bramble after school?" Biana asked, breaking the silence that Dex hadn't noticed until now.

She'd been braiding Linh's hair in an attempt to distract her. It explained why neither of them had been talking as much.

"I'm busy," he replied. "Babysitting and stuff."

"My father wants me home today," Keefe added, and really, that wasn't his most convincing lie.

If Keefe mentioned that he was going to hang out at Dex's, then the rest of their friends would want to join them. He was glad that he didn't mention it, because honestly, they'd ruin the moment. 

The bell rang, so they got up and started walking to their lockers. Keefe and Dex's were found in the same general direction, so they walked together.

"How's your gift?" Dex asked, resisting the urge to grin.

He saw Keefe's face light up in the corner of his eye. "Oh, I loved it! There's some promising stuff in there. My locker's here, see you later, Dexy!"

"Bye Keefe… I need a nickname. I'll figure it out later."

Time seemed to be in their favour today, because it decided to pass by quickly, rather than slowly. He grabbed Keefe's hand and raised his home crystal with the other. A ray of light turned visi-

"Are you two going to the same place?" Tam asked, causing Dex to jump away from Keefe.

"Can we come too?" Sophie chimed in.

Well, he was right about that. With the two of them going to Rimeshire, the others would want to join them.

"Keefe wanted an elixir, that's. He's just coming to grab it and go," he lied.

"Okay." Then they left.

Keefe turned to him, a relieved expression on his face. "Dude, nice save."

He grasped Keefe's hand again and once again raised his home crystal. They stepped into the light, and leapt to Rimeshire. Their hands were still linked together even as they approached the door.

"Keefe? My hand?"

The blond blinked, then stared at their joined hands. His smile was almost bashful. "Oh… your hands were uh… warm."

And if he wasn't imagining things, Keefe was  _ blushing? _

Keefe wrenched his arm back. "Nuh-uh. You are not teasing me. Let's go inside."

He pushed open the door, and they both regretted that decision immensely.

"PUT. ME. DOWN." Bex screeched.

Dex covered his ears, and saw that Keefe was doing the same.

"We couldn't even get a  _ minute _ of peace?" Dex muttered.

Keefe laughed, but didn't move his hands.

"Not until you tell me where Harry is!" Rex replied.

"Then why's Lex helping you?"

"First off, you deserve it-"

Bex managed to roll in mid-air, using telekinesis to chuck a statue at the other two. They dodged it, and the statue shattered into tiny pieces. Fortunately, the large stand that was behind them remained unharmed. But still, damage was done.

"You guys are so f*cking lucky that mom and dad aren't home!" Dex yelled, stomping towards the triplets.

"LANGUAGE!" All three of them screamed in unison.

"Woah woah woah, angry Dex is a scary Dex," Keefe remarked. "Good to know."

"KEEFE!" Lex and Rex screamed, before running over and tackling him.

However, that action caused them to lose concentration, and Bex began to fall. Dex stretched an arm forward and caught her with telekinesis. 

"At least one of my brothers has some decency," she muttered when she reached the ground.

"A little help here?" A muffled voice asked. 

Dex turned towards Keefe, who was trapped on the ground. He laughed at the sight, then lifted Rex and Lex off of him.

"My hero!" Keefe said lightheartedly. 

"What's he doing here?" Bex asked. "Having a  _ friendly _ hangout?"

He smiled to himself.  _ I wonder what her reaction would be if she found out. _

"Actually, a hangout of the boyfriend-y kind," Keefe corrected.

_ Wait  _ what _? _

"Ke-"

"No way!" Rex gasped. "I know Bex asked us to help move- uh never mind that- but I thought he'd date the Vacker boy! I know he's dating Sophie, but still!"

"You three were discussing my love life?" Dex asked in horror.

"Obviously," all three of them answered.

That sounded like the end of that conversation, but Keefe gaped.

"You thought Dex was gonna date  _ Wonderboy _ !?"

Wait hold up, that was weird. It wasn't even that long since he had figured out that he liked boys, so how did they..?

"It's like… a slow-burn romance. I remember you coming home and complaining about him, and it was clear that you were jealous of him. How hard would it be for it to become a romance?" Rex explained.

"Okay… I guess, but how would you know that I was gonna end up dating a guy?"

Bex shrugged. "Just seemed natural. Nothing more than that."

"Okay..?"

"Can I trust you three to not cause trouble?" Keefe asked.

"Yes!" They ran up the stairs and to the rooms.

"Seriously, how do you manage that?" Dex asked in disbelief.

"The Dizznees just like me," he answered with a wink.

Dex felt his skin heat up as they made their way to his room.

"And  _ that _ , is payback."

They entered the room and Keefe plopped on to the bed while Dex made sure the door was shut. There were a few squeals that could be heard.

Dex sighed, sitting on the bed. "Wish the mufflers would work."

"Are the mufflers supposed to muffle sound?"

Dex shot him a look, because that was a pretty dumb question.

"Okay, why don't they work?"

"They actually work normally. Just… not for them."

"Are they  _ that _ troublesome?" Keefe asked.

"Did you just forget what we walked into? Bex literally threw a statue. But I guess they're not as troublesome as you. You're just… trouble."

Keefe smirked, then leaned closer. "Trouble, you say?"

Then he leaned even closer, their noses brushing against each other. He could feel his breath against his lips. Dex closed his eyes and waited for the kiss to come, but it never came. He opened his eyes when he heard a yelp.

"Put me down!" Keefe wailed.

"You're coming with us!" Lex said.

"I'd like to see you try!" Keefe challenged.

But with three people using telekinesis, it was hard to move around. He got his arms to move though, and his face scrunched in concentration. Yet the triplets were still rooted to the ground. With a confused expression, he managed to turn around towards Dex, and levitated him with ease.

"What the hell?" Keefe blurted.

Dex was baffled too.

"You can't lift us?" Rex asked, a teasing lilt to his voice.

He sounded confident, so clearly something was up. He scanned the three of them, and studied what they were wearing. Nothing looked out of place, except for their shoes. They liked wearing bright colours, but their shoes were a dull beige.

_ I thought those boots didn't work? Or maybe it only works on a lighter person? _

"You three are in some major trouble," he warned, but he couldn't take himself seriously, as his tone was way too lighthearted.

"What?" Keefe asked, following Dex's gaze. Except that he didn't know what he was looking for.

"Deeexy," Keefe whined. "Won't you come save me?"

He pretended to consider it. "Nah. Besides, there's not much I can do anyway. Just do what they say."

"He  _ should _ be back safely," Bex assured them.

Dex covered his mouth with a hand when he saw Keefe try and suppress the gulp.

"Quit scaring him!" Lex whispered.

"He's supposed to be scared!" Rex replied.

He almost felt bad for Keefe, but it was getting increasingly difficult to not laugh loudly. The triplets began to shuffle out of the room, their feet not once leaving the ground.

Lex tripped backwards, landing on his butt. "Help, I've fallen and I can't get up!"

Dex rolled his eyes, regretting the decision to show them jokes from the Forbidden Cities. But still, he went and helped Lex up.

"Why are you helping him!?" Keefe shrieked. "Help  _ me _ !"

"We won't be long," Rex said. 

The triplets then left the room, taking Keefe with them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol, I stole 'Trouble' from my irl friend (she wrote a somewhat similar moment). Full nickname is actually Troublemaker though! Yknow, just to be slightly different.
> 
> Also, just in case it wasn't clear, Dex tried to make boots that would stop people from using skills/telekinesis on you, but 1) weighs you down a lot and 2) didn't work for him. Three pairs of boots because he tried to make it three times (also plot convenience)


	14. Small Talk With The Triplets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keefe is forced to have 'The Talk' with the triplets. Also, he greatly enjoyed spending time with Dex.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo, welcome to chapter 14! Edited this during class... oop? 
> 
> Uh, idk what to say anymore without being super repetitive. Okay, so I went on desktop for once for Google docs, and this is like 72 pages on docs? That feels like a lot.
> 
> Anyways, enjoy!

Still floating in the air, Keefe tried to figure out what exactly the triplets would need him for. He had an idea- pranking, they would want his advice for a new elixir or something like that. But when he was dropped on the bed and the door was bolted shut, it seemed like pranking had nothing to do with this.

"Alright," Bex began, her arms crossed. "Mom and dad'll do this too, but we wanted to do it first."

"And if this goes wrong," Rex continued. "You won't get to date our brother."

It took a second to process the words, but once he did, he realized what was going on. Keefe groaned. It was  _ the talk _ . He'd already feared having to have it with Grady, back when he liked Sophie. When Grady got serious, he was absolutely terrifying, but something about having the talk with three devious thirteen year-olds was something else.

"Okay, Keefe Leslie Sencen," Lex said.

He grimaced at his unused middle name. How the  _ hell _ did they figure that out? The only person he'd ever mentioned that too was Fitz.

"I hope you realize that we mean business."

"We're not going to take too long," Bex added. "You're gonna have to promise that you'll take care of him, and make sure he doesn't get hurt. Not physically nor mentally."

"If you think we're devious troublemakers right now, you're going to dread knowing what we're capable of."

"We'll make sure that you're punished, and once that's over, mom and dad'll deal with the rest."

_ Okay wow, they sound scary. Remind me to not mess with  _ anyone _ in the Dizznee family. _

"I'll make that promise." Keefe put a hand over his heart. "I, Keefe Leslie Sencen, swear that I will not hurt Dexter Alvin Dizznee. I just want to let you three know though, that currently I'm still figuring out my feelings."

"You're not leading him on, are you?"

"No!" He replied, his hands flailing. "He already knows, but I just thought that you should know, in case these feelings don't end up being as romantic as I thought."

Though deep down, he had a feeling that it wasn't going to be the case. Being with Dex was easy, and if doing something so small like holding his hand was going to make him all warm inside, then it was hard to see why he couldn't fall in love.

"I think that's good enough for now," Bex said, before narrowing her eyes at him. "But we'll be watching you."

With that, the triplets got off of the bed and headed to the door.

"Wait," Keefe called out. "Don't uh… tell anyone about me and Dex… my father doesn't like him."

They nodded, and Keefe thought that he heard a mutter of a few curses.

"Oh, last thing!" Lex said, a grin on his face. "Keep the-" he puckered his lips. "-to a minimum."

They all giggled, gave a high give to each other and left before he could say anything else. He walked out of the room and went back to Dex.

“Keefe, you’re blushing, and they were giggling. How bad was it?”

He was  _ blushing? _ That was the second time that day! He rubbed his hands against his face, hoping that his skin would just cool down.

“A short version of ‘the talk’.”

“I see…If it was that short though, it wasn’t too bad, right?”

Keefe lifted his hands off of his face, hoping that he looked normal again. “It probably could have gone worse.” And because he didn’t want to focus on that, he changed the topic. “Since when do you swear?”

Dex scratched the back of his neck. “Usually I have a better filter than that. But it happens when I’m annoyed or stressed.”

“That makes sense.” After all, he was one to swear quite often.

“Keefe?”

“Yeah?”

Dex looked at him with a more serious expression. “You didn’t want to tell the others but… you told the triplets about us. Does that mean you’re ready?”

“Not at all. I just figured that your family is actually accepting, and I want you to have at least one place where we don’t have to pretend.”

“That’s really thoughtful,” he said, moving over to rest his head on his shoulder. “Thank you.”

Keefe smiled at the contact, and wrapped an arm around him. It was silent, as they sat like that for a few minutes. It was only when his stomach growled that he moved from the position and stretched.

“Is there any food?”

“There  _ should _ be some brattails and lushberry juice, but I wouldn’t put it past the triplets to take all of the food,” Dex answered.

When they got to the kitchen, neither of them were surprised that there wasn’t much left over. Only enough for one of them.

“Hey!” Dex shouted. “Why’d you take so much?”

“We didn’t take it all!” Rex replied.

“What am I gonna eat?” Keefe wailed.

Dex laughed, and elbowed him. “You’re such a drama queen, you know that?”

Keefe stared at him blankly. “A dramatic queen?” he shrugged. “I’ll take it as a compliment.”

He watched as Dex burst into laughter, and leaned against the countertop. “No, it mea’s you’re too melodramatic. A human term. Besides, if you need food, I’ll make it.”

“Ooh, food!” He cheered, and hugged him.

Dex smiled fondly, and the look did things to Keefe’s heart.  _ I really am falling for him, aren’t I? _

“Do you have any preferences?”

“Mallowmelt! And other stuff too. I didn’t realize you knew how to bake.”

“With the triplets like this, it’s almost a requirement. The gnomes know that I like to bake on my own sometimes.”

“To test out spices?” Keefe guessed.

“Yeah, how’d you know?”

“Seems fitting, you’re an alchemist after all.”

“You wanna help out?”

“I don’t know what I’m doing, but sure!”

Keefe watched as Dex practically slid across the kitchen, grabbing ingredients that he’d never even heard of. He occasionally helped out, but it was mainly for stirring and taste testing. It was then that he learned that Dex was a  _ really _ good cook. And that he liked sour things. Keefe didn’t mind sour food, but Dex didn’t seem fazed by the sourness at all. By the end, the mallowmelt was baked to a golden brown, while their actual meal was nearly done cooking. Dex took the mallowmelt back to their room so it couldn’t get stolen while they cleaned up.

There was a bag of flour that was resting by the countertop, and he was tempted to take some of the powder and throw it at Dex. He reached for it, but Dex got to it first, and the next thing he knew, there was flour all over his face and hair.

"You'll pay for that, Dizznee!" Keefe declared as he used telekinesis to grab some other type of powder.

He sprinkled it on Dex, only to be disappointed by a lack of reaction. 

_ Wha- _

All he felt was something cold fall on him, and then he registered that it was wet.

"Hey!" He whined. "My hair! Flour and water, I'll never get this out!"

Dex gave him an apologetic look. "I'll help you?"

"What happened here?" Kesler asked, startling the both of them.

"It wasn't us this time!" The triplets answered. "It was Dex and his boyfriend!"

"Keefe's here?" Juline asked.

Keefe blinked.  _ Did she already know about Dex's crush on me? _

"Uh… hello?" He waved awkwardly.

"Welcome!"

Then the two parents shared a look, before sighing at the mess.

"I was about to clean it," Dex explained.

"No one's stopping you."

Both boys nodded, and Keefe helped clean for a little bit, then went to go wash the mess that was in his hair. The cleaning process took a long time, as he had to be careful to not damage even a single strand of his precious hair. After it was finally over though, they ate dinner and then went upstairs.

He picked up a blueprint that was laying around, and was surprised by how complex everything was.

He yawned. "Sleep?"

"Okay."

Dex got up from where he'd been sitting on the floor, and started making his way to the bed.

"Can you stay with me?" Keefe asked.

Dex sighed, but it was more fond than exasperated. "Only for you, troublemaker."

He got the sleeping bags for the both of them, and laid them beside each other. They fell asleep beside each other, holding hands.


	15. Found Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dex finds this it's been pretty blissful recently. Until well... Foxfire happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo, welcome to chapter 15! Hope you've been enjoying some far!
> 
> Anyways, enjoy!

Dex woke up with a smile on his face. He had every reason to be happy, just from one day. His crush decided to date him and break some of that awkward tension, and his parents were accepting of it.

He rolled over to his left, where Keefe was. Or… should have been at. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. Where'd Keefe go?

His questions were answered with blood curdling screams. Three of them, to be exact. He held his hands to his ears, wincing when it didn't really help to block the sounds. He stared at his wall. Why were the triplets able to overpower the soundproofing?

After a few seconds, he realized that they weren't going to stop until someone went out and stopped them. He left the room and saw that Keefe was there, attempting to calm the triplets down.

"Tell me what happened," he said, looking like he was trying to fight off a smile.

"Isn't it obvious?" Lex asked.

Dex sighed at the way they were being overdramatic. They were perfectly fine. But Bex's hair had been shaved completely, Lex's hair was thick and dragged across the floor, and Rex's was purple and curly. To top it off, they all smelled like reekrod. It was just a prank, they did not need to scream that loudly.

"Dex, how dare you!" The three of them screeched.

Dex winced. He really hoped that they could start controlling their volume. "I didn't do anything."

"Yes you did!"

"I just woke up!" He countered.

"Now now," Keefe soothed. "No fighting this early in the morning. I'm sure it wasn't Dexy."

Dex looked at him, and saw that his signature smirk flickered on his face. It was a very brief moment, but enough for him to see.

_ So, revenge? I see. _

Before there could be more screaming, Kesler and Juline came running, both looking weary.

"What happen-" they looked at the situation, then at each other, then groaned. "Get ready for Foxfire, this isn't over for the three of you."

Keefe grinned triumphantly as the triplets pouted and went to their room.

Dex sighed. "Let me guess, revenge for yesterday when they picked you up and dragged you away?"

"That was a huge blow to my pride!" He said, voice filled with mock hurt. "Three tiny children managed to overpower the Great Keefester."

He fought back a snicker.  _ Wow, he didn't notice how odd it was for telekinesis to not work? _

"What?" He looked at him questioningly.

"Nevermind. Just… go get ready."

The two of them soon got ready, and had all the supplies that they needed for Foxfire. 

"Care to join me and ditch?" Keefe asked.

"Tempting, but no thanks."

It was  _ really _ tempting actually. But he knew he wouldn't do it. He needed his make sat his best, especially since midterms weren't too far away. Besides, his sudden absence would have his parents notified, and he didn't need that scolding. Then the triplets would rag on him forever. So they leapt to Foxfire.

"Where have you two been the past few days?" Sophie asked. "You've been a little distant."

Keefe grinned, then casually draped an arm on Dex's shoulder. "Hung out with my pranking buddy for a bit. Gotta keep you on your toes, y'know?"

"Sure it's not more than 'pranking buddies?'" Tam muttered, but nobody seemed to realize what he had said.

"Hey! I better not get replaced as your best friend!" Fitz said.

"Knowing him, you already have," Biana chimed in, nudging her brother with an elbow.

Fitz gasped mockingly. "Is it true?"

"Not yet you haven't. But you've got competition," Keefe replied.

The bell rang, so the group separated. Dex walked to his locker, and was surprised that Keefe was following him. The hallway was suspiciously quiet.

"My locker's not too far from yours. I don't always ditch, but I've got a reason to come to class now." He spoke casually, as if he didn't sense the mood shift around them.

"Oh yeah? How come?" Obviously he knew Keefe was only coming because he was there. But he decided to be oblivious.

Keefe stopped and slowly turned him around. He leaned forward. Was this it? Was Keefe about to declare their relationship in front of the school? But before the kiss could happen, they were interrupted. By  _ multiple _ people.

"So it  _ is _ true!"

"Keefe's dating a  _ Dizznee _ ?"

"Ew, at least date the girl!"

He watched as Keefe froze, his eyes wide with terror. His lips parted just a little bit, and he looked like he was panicking. The murmurs got louder, and Dex couldn't bear to hear them anymore. He walked away to somewhere,  _ anywhere _ that wasn't where he currently was. He only looked back once, to see if Keefe would follow him. But he was still standing there like a statue.

He turned a corner and was relieved that there was no one around. But just to be safe, he walked even further down the hallway, his legs trembling. He fell to his knees.

_ Get it together! You can't go on crying right now. It's just people talking about you behind your back. Teasing you. You're used to this. _

But it had gotten better, hadn't it? The mocking of the Dizznee family had never stopped, but it had become less frequent. It hadn't gotten so bad that groups of elves would join in. Not since level one.

_ It's not just about you. It's about Keefe too. Keefe's gonna have to deal with people mocking him. He doesn't deserve this, he's done nothing to deserve it. He'll be mocked because he's dating me. _

A sob came out from his throat. Why? Why did it have to be like this?

He didn't notice the fog within his mind until found himself breathing. His hands began to shake less, and the tears that streamed down his face began to slow. For the whirlwind of emotions that he'd just been in the middle of, he felt oddly calm.

Then a hand laid on his shoulder. He looked towards it and saw blonde, but not the blonde that he'd wanted to see so badly.

"Dex?" Sophie asked, sitting right beside him. "What happened?"

He took another deep breath, and tried to imagine his negative feelings leaving as he exhaled. It didn't really work.

"I'm here for you, I hope you know that."

He gave her a very weak smile. "Thank you."

"Now, who do you need me to sucker-punch?" Her brown eyes gleamed with determination.

"The whole school population, probably."

She frowned. "What happened?"

"I'm surprised you haven't heard about it yet. The prodigies aren't exactly… quiet."

"Do you want to tell me about it?"

Dex steeled himself. "I'm dating Keefe."

He wondered how she was going to react. After all, the Forbidden Cities may have had people who were attracted to the same gender, but not everyone there approved. Sophie could be one of them. Each second that passed by made him more anxious.

"You're dating him?" She repeated.

"Yeah, I am."

"That's good for the both of you! I'm glad that you're dating someone you like! I think you two would be wonderful together- wait, is that why you two have been closer these past few days?"

He nodded again. 

"I don't see what the problem is."

_ She doesn't have any problem whatsoever. _ It felt like a weight was lifted off his chest.

"I'm a Dizznee, he's a Sencen. Our families are so far apart. And…"

Sophie looked tense. "And..?" She prompted.

"Some of them would prefer if he dated Bex instead of me."

Her jaw was set, her mouth set in a thin line. "I can't believe this! I didn't expect this from the elves!"

"Expect what?"

"I can't believe that they're homophobic!" He noticed that she was saying 'they' instead of 'we'. "They're supposed to be better than this!"

"Isn't a phobia being scared?" He asked.

She shrugged, but it wasn't as casual as it normally would have been. "I mean, I guess. But still, they're supposed to be fair! How could it be like this?"

"I don't know," he murmured. "But the world isn't as perfect as we thought it was. Can I just hide? Forever?"

"You shouldn't have to hide though. You haven't done anything wrong!" She went from angry to more encouraging.

"I didn't do anything wrong," he agreed, his voice still quiet. "I didn't choose who to have feelings for."

"Exactly! Now come, we have to go to P.E. If anyone gets in our way, I'll deal with them."

She took his hand and got up, and they walked to PE. Hopefully things would get better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tbh, chapter title didn't quite match, but its what I had before and idk what I'd change it to.
> 
> I didn't even remember that the reason that they were found out was because they ended up making the decision oof. I also don't remember it happening so soon, but considering whats left to go through in their story, it's fine.
> 
> Anyways, get your occasional dose of angst because why not. My fluff may still be cheesy, but I'd like to think I'm getting better with the angst (aka help im projecting again). Gotta keep you on your toes, y'know?
> 
> Ik this a/n is getting long but one more thing. I think that generally, most elves are "neutral". It's something that's been unheard of until basically now. So some elves will probably react worse than other. But some will be supportive.


End file.
